The Lioness and the Snake
by TeamHPForever
Summary: Draco and Hermione return for the seventh year at Hogwarts. At first, nothing seems to have changed between the two. But then one late night in the library changes everything. What will happen when their secret love is found out?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Dramione has always been one of my favorite pairings and I've had this idea for a very long time. This is my first time writing fanfiction in the Harry Potter fandom and I really want to do it justice. Please review! **

The Hogwarts Express raced through the countryside. Hermione felt like a first-year again, nervous about arriving at the mysterious place where young witches and wizards were trained in the magical arts. She knew that the castle had been rebuilt but she hadn't seen it since the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry sat across from her tapping the glass with his fingers.

For the first time, their trio had been brought down to two. All the seventh-year students had been offered the opportunity to either return to Hogwarts or to graduate early. Harry and Hermione had both elected to return. Ron had decided to stay home with his family as they recovered from the loss of Fred. Hermione felt guilty for leaving her parents behind after finally tracking them down in a little house outside of Sydney and returning their memories, but they'd understood her commitment to her schooling.

The door to their compartment slid open and Ginny slipped through. Her eyes were red from crying but her face was smooth and her eyes blazing. She settled herself on the seat next to Hermione.

After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, Ginny finally turned to Hermione and said, "How are your parents, Hermione? My dad was telling me that memory spells that powerful can have certain…side-effects."

"They're fine." Hermione smiled. "I told them as little as I could. They know that they're missing something but I don't think they want to ask what it is. How are you doing?"

Ginny's lower lip twitched ever so slightly. "I'm doing okay. I wonder what Hogwarts is going to look like now that it's being rebuilt."

"The same, I'm sure."

The train ride raced by and soon they were stepping into the carriages to carry them up to the castle. There was a huge back-up of carriages with the large number of students freaked out over the sudden "appearance" of the thestrals that pulled them. Harry pushed his way through the crowd and held the door open for a carriage so that Hermione and Ginny could climb inside.

As the carriage pulled up to the doors, they peeked out and looked up. Hogwarts was still an imposing stone structure, more majestic than anything against the night sky. It looked the same as before and once again Hermione was reminded of her first journey inside. She longed for the innocence of those days as they stepped out and walked through the doors.

Hermione looked around for familiar faces as everyone started to file in. Their numbers had been greatly thinned. Not many had accepted the offer to return to Hogwarts when they could just as easily stay with their families and take a job in the Wizarding World.

"Well, look who it is," Ginny muttered, her voice dark. Harry and Hermione turned around and their eyes fell on a familiar pointy face and blonde hair. The summer hadn't been kind on Draco. His normally perfectly flat hair was messy, he looked even thinner than normal, and his eyes lacked their usual arrogant glint.

Draco looked up at Ginny's words and met Hermione's eyes. She stared back at him with her face blank, but he just smiled and turned away.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thanks everyone for the wonderful reviews! Please keep them coming. I'm going to try to update two or three times a week but that might be impossible at times. I'll try to make sure not to disappear for more than a week.

I am not J.K. Rowling and therefore do not own these characters. Rest assured, if I _was_ Rowling, I would be working on a story covering Snape's entire backstory, not writing Dramione fanfics.

_Draco looked up at Ginny's words and met Hermione's eyes. She stared back at him with her face blank, but he just smiled and turned away. _

"Come on," Harry said. Hermione and Ginny followed him through and into the Great Hall. Hermione flashed back to the last time she'd stood in this glorious room: the dead surrounding them, Ron crouching over Fred's body, Voldemort falling to the floor. She blinked as they sat down and the memories disappeared. The Hall showed no sign of the battle now. It had been restored to its former glory. The only difference was a portion of the wall glittered with the names of everyone who had lost their lives defending the castle.

"It feels so strange…to be back," Ginny whispered. A tear grew in the corner of her eye as she looked at the list of names but she blinked it back.

"I know," Hermione answered. The Sorting Hat was placed on the stool – none the worse for wear despite its attempted burning - and the new first years were called one at a time to be sorted.

"There are so few of them," Hermione whispered. Harry didn't respond, staring intently at the hat.

Ginny nodded. "McGonagall offered families the chance to wait until their children were twelve to start school."

Of the new first-years over half were sorted into Gryffindor. Only a few joined Slytherin. The others were almost evenly distributed between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

Hermione clapped as each new Gryffindor joined their table. They all sent Harry, Ginny, and Hermione started and awed looks and then shuffled away to cluster together with a group of second-years.

"Harry!" a familiar voice rang out from the other end of the table. Neville slipped into the seat next to Hermione.

"Hey, Neville," Harry said. "How was your summer?"

Neville waved his hand. "It was all right. I almost didn't come back this year. I was offered a job as an Auror but I want to be a professor. When I heard that you three were coming back, I figured that I should too."

"I was offered an Auror job as well," Hermione answered. "But I wanted to come back anyway. It didn't feel right."

As she looked up as did the boy at the Slytherin table. He was sitting alone with his head down. The new Slytherins were sitting on the outskirts of the returners, shooting him glances that varied from curious to fearful. Hermione's eyes met Draco's and the breath caught in her throat. His expression was strangely lonely and hurt.

She smiled at him ever so slightly and the expression disappeared. Once again he looked like the cold boy he had always been throughout their years at Hogwarts.

"Hermione?" Ginny said.

Hermione snapped out of her daze. The others were looking at her expectantly. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"The food's appeared…" Hermione glanced down as the delicious smell of roasted chicken met her nose. She'd missed all of Headmistress McGonagall's speech on the war, the restoration of the school, and the promise of a new future. She ducked her head, embarrassed, and starting dishing food onto her plate.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who added this story to their favorites or reviewed! **

"_The food's appeared…" Hermione glanced down as the delicious smell of roasted chicken met her nose. She ducked her head, embarrassed, and starting dishing food onto her plate. _

The first two weeks back passed so quickly that Hermione felt like she could barely breathe. She stayed in touch with Ron constantly, smiling each morning when a letter arrived from him. As soon as she opened it, however, she would see how each reply got steadily shorter. Ron was under a lot of stress at his new job at the Ministry of Magic and it showed in his souring attitude.

Despite the small size of the student population and the events of the last year, their professors hadn't gone at all easy on them. She took to spending long hours in the library – which was normal for Hermione – and was sometimes joined by Harry or Ginny – not normal for any of them.

Hermione was just settling in for a solo session of Ancient Runes work when the sound of footsteps alerted her to someone's presence. She looked up as a scared looking first-year turned the corner around the bookshelf and froze. The girl shook so hard that even her black curls trembled. She held out a piece of parchment without a word.

"Thank you," Hermione whispered. She took the parchment and unrolled it.

_Hermione, _

_Please come to my office as soon as possible. The password is "Dobby." _

_Headmistress McGonagall _

Hermione's forehead creased at the note. She looked up to thank the girl and ask for her name, but she had disappeared in the few seconds it had taken her to read the note. Hermione shook her head and started to drop her books back into her bag. Her studying was just going to have to wait.

Hermione felt a strange sense of déjà vu as she stood in front of the gargoyles that guarded what she still thought of as Dumbledore's office. The last time she'd seen these they'd been smashed to pieces by the battle. Now they stood tall and mighty like nothing had changed. The effect was slightly disturbing.

"Dobby," she whispered to them and the office opened. She walked through and felt another surge of memory. McGonagall had only made a few small changes to the office. All the pictures of the previous Headmasters and Headmistresses still hung on the walls. The sorting hat still sat above the beautiful desk. Even Fawkes's perch still sat below the staircase, though the phoenix itself hadn't been seen since Dumbledore's death. The only signs that anything had changed were the absence of many of Dumbledore's magical objects and the addition of a new rug underneath the desk.

Hermione turned to look at the desk, half-expecting Dumbledore to be sitting there surveying her from behind his half-moon spectacles in a way that made her feel like her head was laid bare in front of him. But it was McGonagall sitting behind the desk, leafing through sheets of parchment instead of watching her.

"Headmistress," Hermione said. Her voice felt small and quiet. "You wanted to see me?"

McGonagall looked up and a rare smile showed on her face. She motioned for Hermione to sit in one of the two chairs in front of the desk. Hermione did so, setting her bag down beside her and leaning forward with her legs crossed.

"Hermione, I want you to that you are one of the best students I have ever had the pleasure to teach. I know that Headmaster Dumbledore would say the same if he were in my place right now. You've been through a lot in the past few years and I want you to know that this is completely up to you. Don't feel that you have to say yes. I want you to take a couple days to think about it before you give me your answer. Understood?"

"Yes, Headmistress." Her voice was louder now, but more hesitant.

"Would you like to be Head Girl?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: ****Sorry about the unplanned hiatus! It's been a crazy couple weeks but things are settling down so hopefully I'll be able to get a few chapters written. Enjoy chapter four and please take a second to review! **

"_Would you like to be Head Girl?" _

"Professor?" Hermione blinked, not sure that she had heard correctly. Sure, she'd been a prefect and dreamed of taking the Head Girl job, but that felt like it had been centuries ago. She felt like a completely different girl from that one.

"I know you've been through a lot in the past couple years but you're the best girl for the job. All the younger students look up to you. Why don't you take a day to think about it?"

Hermione nodded and got to her feet. Her knees shook underneath her. "Okay, Profess—I mean, Headmistress. I'll let you know tomorrow."

"Take your time." McGonagall gave her one of her rare smiles.

Hermione turned around and started out the door. She paused for a second, her hand on the door frame for balance, and turned around. "If you don't mind me asking, who is Head Boy?"

"Ernie Macmillan."

Hermione sagged with relief, though she had no idea why. "Thank you, Headmistress." She turned and almost ran down the steps out of Dumbledore's office. Her brain was racing too fast for her to think about returning to the library to study so she took to wandering the halls. As she walked, she entertained thoughts of patrolling at night, the Head Girl badge gleaming on her chest.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts she almost walked straight into a first-year who was walking down the hallway as fast as she could with her head down.

"Sorry," Hermione said as she crashed shoulders with the girl. The girl froze and looked up. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Hermione kept her in place with a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

The girl sniffled. "Nothing's wrong." When Hermione didn't let go and searched the girl's blue eyes with her own, the girl burst into tears. "What if this is all a mistake? What if McGonagall and Ollivander and the Sorting Hat are all wrong and I don't have any magic at all?"

Hermione pulled the girl into a hug. "It's not a mistake. Would you like me to teach you a few simple spells? Just so you have an idea of what you can do?"

The girl looked mortified at the idea of Hermione – _the_ Hermione – teaching her how to do magic. However, when Hermione gave her a reassuring smile she smiled tentatively back and nodded. "Thank you, Hermione. I'm Mollie."

"It's nice to meet you, Mollie. Come on. I know where we can go to practice." She led the way down several passageways to the stretch of wall she knew well. As she turned the corner, someone melted out of the wall and hurried in the opposite direction. Someone with messy blonde hair and thin features.

Hermione froze until Draco was out of sight and then started forward again. She felt shaken but she reminded herself that she knew Draco knew about the Room and that it didn't matter. When the door appeared, she pulled it open and a wave of memory threatened to drag her down as she walked straight into the same room that Dumbledore's Army had trained in so many years ago.

"Okay…" She turned to the girl as the door closed behind them. "My first spell was _Lumos. _Take out your wand…"

Hermione was thrilled by the delighted expression on the girl's face as her wand finally lit up after a couple tries. From that spell, they moved on to a few others but Hermione realized from the first second exactly what her answer to Headmistress McGonagall would be.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm sorry I am a horrible person and haven't updated this story in _forever. _I got caught up in classes and didn't feel inspired for the longest time. But now I have some ideas for the future and I wanted to try to bring it back. **

Hermione_ was thrilled by the delighted expression on the girl's face as her wand finally lit up after a couple tries. From that spell, they moved on to a few others but Hermione realized from the first second exactly what her answer to Headmistress McGonagall would be. _

As soon as she'd sent Mollie back to her tower, Hermione ran to the Headmistress's office. "Dobby," she gasped to the gargoyles, clutching a stitch in her side. As soon as the wall split to admit her, she bolted through the door.

The office was exactly the way she'd left it except for one small detail: the chair across from McGonagall was occupied.

Draco Malfoy twisted in the chair to glance at her before turning back around. Hermione was surprised by the complete lack of arrogant smirk when his eyes met hers. He still looked as rough and downtrodden as he had on the first day.

McGonagall froze mid-sentence and then got to her feet. "What can I do for you, Miss Granger?"

"I…I can come back…" Hermione stepped backward toward the door.

"No, that's all right. You may go, Mr. Malfoy." She nodded and he got to his feet excruciatingly slowly. His eyes met Hermione's for the barest second before he whisked out the door, a breeze blowing over her at his departure. His scent – a mixture of pine needles and smoke – washed over her.

The door snapped shut and Hermione jumped. Knocked out of her trance, she walked forward and took the chair. All she could think about was Malfoy sitting her just a few seconds before.

"I've decided to accept the Head Girl position," Hermione said before McGonagall could ask and before she could change her mind.

"Are you sure?" McGonagall leaned forward in her seat. For a moment, Hermione flashed back to the way Dumbledore had looked at her with his piercing eyes.

"I am." Hermione shifted nervously in her seat.

McGonagall slid open a drawer on her desk and pulled out the badge. It was small and simple, with "Head Girl" in large letters. Hermione's fingers trembled as she took it and watched as it pinned itself to the front of her cloak.

"Thank you, Headmistress."

McGonagall smiled again. "Thank _you, _Miss Granger. Your main job is to watch over the Prefects, settle any disagreements among them, and to patrol with them on occasion. I'll contact Mister Macmillan to let him know you've accepted the job." She paused for a second and Hermione, realizing she was waiting to see if she had any questions, shook her head. "Very well. It's getting late and I imagine you want to tell your friends the news."

Hermione got to her feet, thanked McGonagall again, and hurried out the door. She was so distracted that she was surprised when she stopped outside of the Gryffindor tower. She muttered the password and slid through the passage.

The common room wasn't nearly as full as it normally was. Harry and Neville occupied two of their usual armchairs by the fire. Hermione grinned as she joined them.

Harry glanced up at her with a confused expression until his eyes slid from her grinning face to the badge on her chest. "Wow, congratulations!" He grinned back at her. "Have you told Ron yet?"

Hermione shook her head and pulled out a piece of parchment. "I'm just about to."

_Ron—_

_I'm sorry to hear that things are stressful at the Ministry. I know that you'll get it all straightened out! It is strange to be back in Hogwarts again after everything that has happened. The castle has barely changed at all and yet it seems like the whole world has shifted. _

_Headmistress McGonagall asked me to her office tonight; she wanted me to be Head Girl. I accepted. Ernie is Head Boy. I can't wait to help all of the new students and the school. We'll never go back to before the War, but maybe we can move forward. _

_Love, _

_Hermione _

"I'll be right back," she told her friends once the ink had dried. The castle was silent as she made her way through the halls and up to the Owlery. Her own owl, a tawny female named Peace, flew down to her as she walked through the door.

She was so distracted by tying the note onto the little owl's leg and tossing her out into the skies that she didn't notice she wasn't alone.

"Granger," a familiar voice startled her.


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione turned around. "Malfoy." She froze. "What are you doing up here?"

He held up a letter clenched in his fist as his massive owl swooped down to land on his arm. "Same as you, I imagine. I would have thought a witch as bright as you would have been able to figure that out."

"I didn't know you could receive letters in Azkaban," Hermione replied.

He sneered back at her, but it lacked its usual enthusiasm. "It's to my mother."

Hermione didn't know what to say, so she just watched as he tied the letter to the owl's leg and nudged him into the air. When Malfoy looked back up, he seemed surprised to still see her there.

"Do you want something, Granger?" His shoulders slumped over and his face looked grey, making his hair appear almost transparent.

She shook her head and scurried out of the Owlery. All through her classes she thought of Malfoy's face. It wasn't until she climbed into bed that night that she realized she did want something—to ask a question: Why did Malfoy come back?

Hermione woke to the soft shakes by one of her new dormmates. Pain squeezed her heart as she remembered how few of her old friends were still here.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, hundreds of scenarios flashing through her brain.

"There's a boy downstairs who wants to see you," the girl replied.

Hermione climbed out of bed and hurried to throw on her robes. She dashed to the bottom of the stairs and smiled when she spotted Ron's familiar red hair in his favorite armchair by the fire.

When he heard her coming, he stood up, his face an empty echo of her smile. Hermione threw her arms around him and pressed her lips against his. He hesitantly responded.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked when they broke apart.

"I wanted to congratulate you in person," he said, giving her a quick kiss. He smiled at her and then it all fell away, replaced by nervous eyes. He took her hand and led her over to their usual pair of armchairs. For a moment, Hermione could almost forget everything that had happened as the warmth of the fire washed over them.

"Thank you," Hermione said. "But that's not all, is it?"

He shook his head. "I know that you love it here, but I need you to join me at the Ministry. I have a job all set up for you. We're desperate for help right now, and we both know you'd be the best one for it."

Hermione's face fell. "I can't."

"Why not?" Ron frowned. "Hermione, there is nothing more for you here."

"Harry is here."

Ron's face twisted into a sneer. Hermione was reminded of Draco's failed attempt. "Harry had to come back if he wanted to be an Auror. Don't you miss me?" His fingers wandered up her arm.

"Ron, we talked about this." She reached out to touch his hand, but he moved it away. "I'll join you at the Ministry after the year is over."

Ron stood up and pulled a pouch out of his pocket. He threw a handful of Floo powder into the fire and turned to her. "Please just think about it."

"I'm Head Girl. I can't just leave."

Ron nodded. "I have to get back to work. I'll see you soon." Without giving her a kiss, he stepped into the green flames.

Hermione slumped over in her chair and put her head in her hands. Someone padded down the stairs and she sat up again, tucking her feet underneath her in the chair and pretending to be gazing thoughtfully into the flames—red again now that Ron was gone.

"Hermione?" It was Ginny. Hermione suddenly felt guilty for not alerting her and Harry to Ron's visit so that they could see him too.

"Yes?"

Ginny walked over into her line of sight. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

"Your brother was here," Hermione replied. "We got into a fight. I'm sorry that you didn't get to see him."

Ginny leaned against the chair and put her arm over Hermione's shoulders. "What was the fight about?"

"He wants me to come work with him at the Ministry. I told him that I can't leave her yet."

Ginny rubbed her shoulder. "You'll work everything out. Things are really complicated at the Ministry right now. Not enough people are left to handle everything that is going on."

"I hope so." Hermione stood up, a sudden urge to move somewhere. Preferably where she couldn't see the fireplace. "I'm going to the library."

Ginny just gave a knowing nod. "Okay."

Hermione's feet carried her down the familiar hallways and staircases until she reached the library. The books greeted her like old friends She inhaled their slightly musty scent and pushed her worries out of her head as she wandered the shelves, eyes scanning the titles.

She found herself in the Potions section and decided to start work on her essay—even though it wasn't due for ages.

The quiet soothed her tense muscles as she filled her arms with books and settled next to a table.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

_The quiet soothed her tense muscles as she filled her arms with books and settled next to a table. _

"Damn it," a male voice growled on the other side of the shelves.

Hermione looked up, confused, as she was yanked out of her homework daze. The library was dark and silent. Usually she was the only one who took refuge in the library this late, excluding the last few weeks of classes before exams when the library was packed with students trying to get in some last minute cramming.

"I'm never going to finish this," the voice said.

She tried to return to her work, but curiosity and the desire to help made it impossible to concentrate. Hermione stacked her books neatly and went to investigate.

She expected a fellow student struggling to return after the Carrows's reign.

She expected a first-year battling with their first essay.

She did not expect Draco Malfoy poring over his Defense Against the Dark Arts books. His homework was strewn across the table, lit only by a soft light emanating from the tip of his wand. He ruffled his hair with both hands, letting out an exhausted sigh.

Hermione tried to shrink back around the shelves, but it was too late. Draco's head whipped up, his eyes wide with fear.

His face relaxed into a tired mask when his gaze fell on Hermione. "What do you want, Granger?"

"Do you need any help?" She took a cautious step forward even while her head twisted at the strangeness of all of this.

He waved his hand at the empty chair across from him. Hermione hurried to gather her homework and bring it over to join him. A lot of the borders had been crossed since the war—house boundaries blurring, the divisions between Muggleborns, half-bloods, and purebloods all but forgotten—but this was probably the strangest of all. Even so, Hermione couldn't stop herself from trying to help a fellow student, even if it was Malfoy.

He glanced at the books as Hermione set them down and the corners of his lip twitched like he wanted to smile. She was doing research for the same essay he was.

They sat in silence as the minutes stretched on, the quiet interrupted only by the rustle of pages and scratching of quills.

"Which curse did you choose?" Hermione asked. The essay was two scrolls on the origins and history of any curse.

Malfoy looked up. "_Crucio."_ His eyes looked haunted and when they met hers she was sure he was thinking of that day in Malfoy Manor. "You?"

"_Imperio."_ She stared at a swirl in the grain of the table. Without looking, she nudged a book out of the stack and in front of him. "That one might help you."

Malfoy picked it up and started to flip through. "Thanks."

Silence.

Hermione glanced out the windows at the stars. "What are you doing here so late, Malfoy? This essay isn't due for weeks."

"I could ask the same of you, Granger." Out of all the things that made this moment strange, the complete lack of arrogance and mocking in his voice was the one that made her the most uncomfortable. This wasn't the Malfoy that she had always known.

"Couldn't sleep." Hermione thought back to Ron's visit and frowned. Why couldn't Ron just understand?

"Nightmares."

Hermione let out a bone-deep sigh. "I have them too."

They looked up at each other, brown eyes meeting silver. Somehow, the spell of silence was broken. They talked—mostly about classes—while they worked until the sun chased away the night.

Hermione stood up, her legs stiff from sitting all night and went to the window. She watched the sun rise over the lake in a display of scarlet red.

When she turned to say goodbye to Malfoy, she was shocked to find him already gone, vanished like a ghost that can only appear in the night.

"Where were you all night?" Ginny asked, her eyes worried as Hermione joined her and Harry for breakfast. Despite her all-nighter, she felt strangely wired and awake. All she could think about was Malfoy and her eyes glanced toward the Slytherin table where he always sat.

His seat was empty.

"Studying," she responded as she slid into her usual seat.

"You work too hard," Harry said.

Hermione ignored him. "Did I miss the mail? Anything for me?"

Ginny gestured to the middle of the table. Sitting in front of her plate was one pink orchid that reminded Hermione of her Yule Ball dress. She picked it up with trembling fingers and inhaled the sweet scent.

"No note?" Hermione asked, peeking under and around the plates.

"None," Ginny said, winking.

That was fine, though. Ron had never been one for words. Hermione tucked the flower behind her ear, mind finally put at ease.

Despite the flower, Ron didn't contact her all week. Hermione threw herself into her duties as Head Girl and her classes. The professors definitely weren't lightening their students' workload just because of the hiatus.

On Saturday, Hermione wrote him a letter with a worried heart and holed up in the library. After a few minutes trying to concentrate in the shockingly packed place, she gave up and took her work outside into the cool day.

She was still sitting there when the familiar owl found her. It was a handsome tawny barn owl. Ron still had a secret fondness for Pig, but refused to use him for work matters and urgent messages.

Hermione excitedly opened the letter and her heart sank at the short length.

_I'm sorry for my lack of letters, the Ministry has me traveling constantly. I hope you are doing well. I'm hoping to visit next weekend if possible. Remember, the offer of the Ministry post still stands. _

_Love, Ron. _

Hermione tore up the note and let the pieces float away in the wind. For a moment, Hermione missed their adventures hunting Horcruxes. Not the constant danger and trying to stay a step ahead of the Death Eaters and the struggle to find food.

She missed the closeness of the three of them against the world.


	8. Chapter 8

_She missed the closeness of the three of them against the world. _

When the last bits of the note had drifted away, Hermione tried to settle back down into her homework. If she could finish that, then everything else would take care of itself. That's what she'd always believed, anyway.

"Get away from me!" a familiar voice shouted. Hermione looked up to see Malfoy sprawled on the ground, his wand trained on four Slytherins above him.

"Or what? Can't call Daddy any more, Malfoy," Goyle sneered.

Malfoy's curse missed Goyle by inches and one of them disarmed him in return.

Hermione pushed herself up. On one hand, it was her duty as Head Girl to stop this kind of thing. On the other, this was Malfoy they were talking about.

She snatched her wand up from the ground and shot Goyle with _Stupefy. _He didn't even see it coming. The other three—Crabbe and a couple of younger students she didn't recognize—whirled around in search of the attacker.

It took Crabbe a second too long to find her. He was still searching the surroundings when she Stunned him.

The others were a little faster on the uptake.

Curses sent showers of bark and dirt in the air as they missed Hermione. _Petrificus Totalus, _she thought and they dropped one-by-one to the ground, frozen.

"I'll have to report this to the Headmistress," she said as she walked up to them. "Don't worry, I'll let you up before then."

Malfoy found his wand lying a couple yards away. For a second, it looked like he was going to curse her, but then he just shoved it into his belt.

He glanced at his Stunned and Full-Body Bound classmates. Then he flashed her a look of anger and stalked away.

"You're welcome," Hermione muttered. She waited until he was back in the castle before she revived the Slytherins. Once she was sure they were all relatively unharmed, she sent them packing with her silver otter Patronus carrying the message for McGonagall.

"Heard you saw a bit of excitement today," Ginny said when Hermione showed up for dinner. She glanced reflexively toward Malfoy's usual seat alone at the end of the Slytherin table, but he wasn't there tonight. She felt a twinge of guilt.

"How'd you know?" Hermione asked.

She shrugged. "Just what I heard. It's true?"

"Just some Slytherins pushing somebody around. The usual." Hermione forked a slice of ham onto her plate. "How are things going with you and Harry?" She glanced pointedly at the empty seat he usually occupied.

Ginny smiled. "Everything's great. He's…"

At that moment, Harry jogged up to the table and dropped into the seat next to her. She twined his fingers with hers. Hermione felt a pang in her chest as she looked at them. They looked so happy together.

She thought of Ron and wished that he was there with her. She wished for the days when things had come easily. When they had stolen kisses behind the Burrow, when holding his hand was as natural was breathing, when he looked at her like she was the only one in the room.

The days passed slowly, a whirlwind of homework, classes, and patrolling the halls as part of her Head Girl duties. Her downtime she spent writing letters to Ron that she promptly tore up and tossed into the fire.

On Friday, after classes were over, she snuck up to the Owlery and wrote a letter against a clean space of wall.

_Ron—_

_It's not the same here without you. Are you still able to visit this weekend? _

_-Hermione _

At breakfast, her owl returned with a response. Hermione gave her a nibble of bread crust before she flew off for a well-deserved rest.

"Is that from Ron?" Ginny asked.

Hermione nodded as she unfolded the parchment.

_Hermione—_

_I'm sorry, but I won't be able to visit this weekend. I am home safe, but there's just too much work left to do. I'm trying to find an assistant to hire but I haven't been able to find anyone qualified. Hopefully things will let up soon. _

_-Ron_

Hermione's heart fell. She'd really been looking forward to seeing him this weekend. When she voiced these thoughts to Ginny, she replied, "Why don't you go visit him? Surely he can take a few minutes off work for his girlfriend."

Hermione smiled. Why _shouldn't_ she go see Ron? She wolfed down the rest of her breakfast and headed up to McGonagall's office.

"Hermione," the Headmistress said, surprised to see her. "Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine. I was just wondering if it would be possible for me to use the Floo network," she hurried to reassure her. "I just want to visit Ron for a couple hours. You know how things are at the Ministry."

"Well, students aren't supposed to use the Floo network to go home unless it's an emergency but I suppose…" Headmistress McGonagall pushed a bowl filled with sparkly black powder across the desk toward her and nodded at her fireplace.

"Thank you, Headmistress."

She took a handful of Floo powder and stepped into the fireplace. As the green flames flared out around her, she shouted Ron's address and disappeared into an abyss of fireplaces.


	9. Chapter 9

_She took a handful of Floo powder and stepped into the fireplace. As the green flames flared out around her, she shouted Ron's address and disappeared into an abyss of fireplaces. _

Finally, the world came to a stop and flung her into Ron's house. It was a little flat, consisting only of one bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a tiny space that she supposed would be called a living room.

She'd expected Ron's space to be somewhat bare of furniture, but cluttered with an array of junk. Instead, Hermione was surprised to find it rather clean and nicely furnished. The living room was painted a dusky blue. A black leather loveseat sat in one corner and a desk was pushed against the other wall.

All the lights were on, but the house felt empty.

Hermione felt guilty for coming without letting Ron know. What if he wasn't here? What if he really was just busy with work?

_Homenum revelio, _she whispered and the spell confirmed her suspicions. No one was home.

Something thumped against the door. Hermione jumped, but before she could hop back into the fireplace, someone pushed their way through.

Ron.

He was alone, but definitely not working. He stumbled through the door, laughing like he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world, and froze.

"Hermione?" His speech was badly slurred and he looked like he was going to topple over at any moment. "What…what are you…?"

"I came to visit you," Hermione said, snapping out of her trance. "I just wanted to see if you could take a few minutes off work to see me. Obviously that's not really a concern."

He was too drunk to register that he should even be ashamed. He just kicked the door closed, stumbled across the room, and sank into the loveseat.

Hermione took a step toward him and the powerful scent of whiskey washed over her, choking her lungs.

"Come here," Ron said, patting the seat beside him. "I always have time for my girlfriend."

"Oh really." Anger flared up inside of her of a magnitude that she hadn't felt since he abandoned her and Harry in the woods during the hunt for Horcruxes. "Is that why you had time to hit the bar but you didn't have time to come visit?"

"Don't be like that." He reached for her hand and missed by about a foot. He almost fell off the couch, but he managed to right himself.

"Would you care to tell me _why_ you lied to me?" Hermione resisted the urge to curse him. "Any other times you told me you were working and went out drinking instead?"

Ron shook his head. "I'm sorry. I just needed to blow off some steam tonight. You don't understand how things are at the Ministry right now…"

"Right. Because you won't _talk to me." _Her voice was low and deadly calm. Her entire body was tensed and her hands were clasped behind her back.

"If you would just take the post…"

"No!" Hermione's eyes sparked as she backed away from him. "Why can't you just understand that what I do at Hogwarts is important to me? I know that your Ministry work is important to you and I accept that. I accept that I can't just expect you to drop everything and come when I want to see you."

Ron cringed back against the couch. "I should have told you…"

"Yes. You should have." Her shoulders slumped.

"I just thought…you're so dedicated to your work, Hermione. At Hogwarts you were always doing homework or in the library or reading some book. I didn't think you would understand that I needed to have a bit of fun."

Hermione clenched her fists at her sides. "And so you couldn't come see me? You wouldn't have any _fun_ with me, is that it?"

Ron went on the offensive. He leaned forward on the couch, balancing his weight as best he could in his drunk state. "Not really! All you ever want to do is _talk." _

"So what you're saying is you want a relationship like you and Lavender's again? Where all you did is make out until your lips got so chapped you told _Harry_ about it?"

"Whoa, what does any of this have to do with Lavender?" Their voices got increasingly louder, until they were at full shouting pitch. Ron tried to stand up, but he fell back onto the couch. "I'm not saying I _never_ want to talk, I'm just saying if we spent a little more time doing other things…"

Hermione felt sick to her stomach. "I don't think I can do this anymore, Ron."

If he'd fought, Hermione might have given in. But he didn't. He almost looked…relieved. "If that's what you want."

His words cut her to the core. She backed away, needing nothing more than an escape. All the fight was gone out of her. Now she just wanted flight.

"The post will still be open for you whenever you decide to take it." His voice was genuine and his body started to slip until he was lying on his side on the couch.

Was that really the most important thing in the world to him? Feeling dizzy and exhausted, Hermione took a handful of Floo powder and tossed it into the fireplace. "Goodbye, Ron," she said and stepped into the flames.

Tears turned to steam as she whirled back to Hogwarts.

McGonagall's office was empty when Hermione stumbled out of the fireplace. That was one small comfort she supposed as she ran from the room and down the spiral staircase.

She was halfway back to the Gryffindor common room when she realized that Ginny or Harry might be there. She loved her friends, but she didn't really want to explain the tears running down her cheeks to either of them right now.

The library? No, Madam Pince wouldn't approve of her getting the books wet.

She paused, pacing the hallways for a moment, before she realized exactly where she would go.

She followed her instincts down the familiar path to a seemingly blank stretch of wall and paced in front of it. _I need somewhere to calm down for awhile. I need somewhere to calm down for awhile. I need somewhere to calm down for awhile. _

A door appeared and she grabbed the handle, bursting through it. She stepped into what looked like an old living room. There were couches in the corners, shelves of books along the walls, and a fireplace crackling on the other side of the room. A coffee table sat in the center, two pots of tea sitting on its surface surrounded by little porcelain cups.

Hermione felt her muscles relax as the scent of lavender washed over her. She leaned against the door and the tears started to ebb. The room was perfect, as always.

Well…

Something rustled on the couch.

…almost perfect.

Malfoy stared at her from across the room, stretched out on one of the couches. There was a book resting on his chest. His eyes, closed before she walked in, were wide and confused.

"How did you get in here?" he asked.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, glaring back at him. "It's the Room of Requirement. I required a room and it provided one." She tried to wipe away her tears with the back of her hand, but she knew it was too late.

He'd noticed.

"Are you okay?" Malfoy asked.

She burst open again. "No, I'm not okay. All I want right now is to be _alone_ and the room can't even get that right!" Her fists clenched and she realized her wand was in her hand.

Malfoy started to stand up and edge away from her. "I'll just leave you to it then."

"No." Hermione sat down heavily on the couch. A book floated from the shelves and landed in her lap. She smiled as she looked at the cover. It was one of her favorites from when she was a kid. "You were here first. You should stay." She was too tired to fight anything anymore and it wasn't in her nature to kick out anyone—even Draco Malfoy—without it being part of her Head Girl duties.

Hermione tucked her legs up under herself and settled down to read. She could see Malfoy frozen on the couch like he wasn't sure what to do. After a few minutes, he relaxed back and started to read his book again.

Soon the feeling of each other's presence wasn't even uncomfortable. It reminded Hermione of the night in the library, relaxing in the silence. She almost forgot that he was even there as she fell into her book, but the occasional sounds of turning pages or a tired sigh reminded her.

"Did you finish that essay for Defense Against the Dark Arts yet?" Malfoy interrupted the silence for the first time to ask. Hermione glanced toward him, but his face was still hidden by his book.

"Not yet." Hermione turned the page. "Almost. You?"

"Little over halfway." Malfoy closed his book and sat up on the couch. Hermione looked up at him and he waved his hand at the tea set on the table. "Do you want some tea?"

"Sure." Hermione set her book down on the couch. She watched Malfoy pour out two cups of tea—both still steaming despite the fact that they'd been sitting in the room for over an hour—and hand her one. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Malfoy's voice was a soft murmur.

Hermione sipped the tea. It was black with a hint of lemon, just the way she liked it. "How did you get this? I thought the Room couldn't make food or drink."

"A house elf brought it." He shrugged. "I guess even the Room has ways of getting around its rules."

Hermione wasn't sure what to say to that. She kept her gaze on her tea as she sipped, but watched Malfoy out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't until he leaned back against the couch when she noticed it.

A vase of flowers.

A vase of pink flowers.

Orchids, to be exact.

Her hands shook under the cup and she set it down before she dropped it. Everything fell into place: the flower, the fact that Ron never mentioned it, her night with Malfoy, the vase.

"It was you," she whispered.

"What?" Malfoy turned his silver eyes on her, his forehead creased with confusing. "What was me?"

"The flower." She pointed at the vase. "The morning after that night in the library I went to breakfast and there was a flower just like that on the table. For me. You sent it."

Malfoy ducked his head. "I just thought you would appreciate it."

Hermione was speechless. This was Draco Malfoy she was looking at here. Draco Malfoy. It wasn't just any flower, it was one that perfectly matched her Yule Ball dress. He'd been noticing her for years.

How had she never known? "Thank you," she whispered. Malfoy peeked up at her through his hair, his eyes softer than she had ever seen them.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thank you all for the follows and favorites and wonderful reviews! I appreciate them all. :) I hope you enjoy. **

Chapter Ten

_How had she never known? "Thank you," she whispered. Malfoy peeked up at her through his hair, his eyes softer than she had ever seen them. _

The spell of comfortable silence seemed to have been broken and a tense awkwardness descended. Hermione picked up her cup again and took a sip, but she hardly tasted it. Her thoughts hummed like an anxious hummingbird.

"I should probably go," she said. "I…I have to patrol the halls." Tea spilled into her saucer as she hurried to set down her cup.

His face was blank, his walls up, as he answered, "Okay. I'll see you in class, I guess."

Hermione walked out of the Room and the door disappeared again when she stepped through. She leaned back against the wall. She'd gone to the Room looking for peace, but the only thing she'd found was more questions.

She put those thoughts aside as she drew her wand and went out on patrol.

When she got to the Gryffindor common room later that night, Hermione was more than ready to fall into bed. Her patrols had been a welcome distraction from her whirring thoughts. She'd had to reprimand a group of first-years who had managed to set fire to a tapestry dueling and rescue a pair of fifth-years locked in a broom closet by Peeves.

"Hey, Hermione," Ginny's voice interrupted her thoughts. Ginny was sitting on the arm of the chair, perched next to Harry. "Do you think you can help me with my essay?"

"Can it wait until tomorrow?" Hermione was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. "It's been a long day."

"Sure." Ginny looked over her friend and smiled. "Good night."

Hermione dragged herself up the stairs to the girl's dorm and collapsed into bed. She was just about to fall asleep when a weight sank down next to her.

Hermione reached for her wand and flipped over, aiming it in the face of…Ginny.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked, not flinching in the slightest.

"I'm fine." Hermione stowed her wand underneath her pillow. "Just tired."

"You're crying."

Hermione touched her cheeks and was surprised to find them wet. She sighed. "Ron and I broke up."

"What happened?" Ginny shifted to sit cross-legged at Hermione's feet.

The whole story came spilling out, and when Hermione was done, Ginny pulled her into a hug.

"He'll come around," Ginny said. "I'll let you get some sleep." She slid off the bed and Hermione rolled over to fall asleep.

She thought about Ginny's words and wondered if she _wanted_ Ron to come around.

When Hermione arrived at breakfast the next morning, there was a pink orchid in front of her plate again.

"See," Ginny said when she sat down, nodding at the flower. "I told you he'd come around."

Hermione didn't have the heart to correct her as she picked it up and tucked it behind her ear. She glanced across the room at Malfoy. He caught her eye and gave her a crooked smile. He looked more egotistical glancing at the flower than he'd appeared all term.

It made Hermione feel both guilty and excited.

She didn't see him again until she got to Potions in the afternoon. Malfoy sat in the back of the room, scorned by both Gryffindors and Slytherins. Her heart ached for him, reminded of her first days at Hogwarts, when she'd been nothing more than the class know-it-all.

She thought about joining him, but there was Harry sitting at the front of the room next to her cauldron.

Her Confusing Concoction was brewing when a tiny paper bird fluttered down and landed on her arm.

She tapped the bird with her wand and it unfolded. A pink petal fell out.

_I found a book that might really help with your essay. Meet me in the library tonight. _

Hermione transfigured the letter back into an origami bird and let it hop around on the desk. She tried to concentrate on her potion but she kept catching herself almost putting in the wrong ingredients or stirring it the wrong number of times.

Hermione changed her mind a hundred times about going to the library. It wasn't until she stood outside the door that she realized she'd always intended to go.

She pushed her way inside and slipped through the dark, searching for any sign of him in the dark, until she found the table that she and Draco had shared that night. It seemed like it had been centuries ago since then.

An old book with ruffled pages and a slightly torn cover with another orchid on top sat on the table. Hermione glanced around, but she appeared to be alone.

She moved the orchid to the side and flipped open the book. It was the type of book she wouldn't normally go anywhere near—all dark curses and hexes—but it was perfect for her essay.

"For what it's worth," a voice says, "I am sorry."

Hermione's head shot up. Draco stood on the other side of the table, leaning up against the corner of the bookshelves. The moonlight shone in through the window behind him, making his light hair almost glow in the darkness.

"For what?" Hermione asked, even though she had a feeling she already knew what the answer would be.

"For everything." His eyes caught hers and she caught a glimpse of the empty look of someone who has lost everything. It was a look she'd seen a lot since the War.

Hermione nodded as she closed the book again and picked up the orchid. "Where did you find the book?" she asked, for lack of anything better to say.

"It was something my dad had." He took a cautious step forward. "He won't be needing it anymore and I thought it would help."

She picked it up and clutched it to her chest, struck off balance by Malfoy's words. "Thank you. It's perfect."

Malfoy walked forward, step by cautious step, until he stood within reach of her. Then he picked up the orchid and tucked it behind her ear.

Hermione flinched away from his touch, so gentle but so _wrong. _She tried to cover her movement away from him, but from the flash of pain in his eyes and the way he backed away, she knew that he'd seen anyway.

She opened her mouth to say something—anything—but Ernie MacMillan stepped around the corner, his lit wand held aloft.

"Oh, Hermione," he said, lowering his wand to keep the light from blinding them. "It's you. I'm sorry."

"It's all right." She glanced behind her, but Malfoy had disappeared. "I was just working on my DADA essay. Have you had any problems tonight?"

Ernie shook his head. "Everything seems quiet."

"Good, good." She shifted the book under her arm. "Well, I'm going to go back to the common room. Good night."

"Good night."

Hermione waited for him to continue his rounds before she glanced around the shelves, but Malfoy had disappeared. She headed back upstairs to Gryffindor Tower with a confused heart. It wasn't until she knocked the flower to the floor while changing her shirt that she realized it was still stuck in her hair.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

_Hermione waited for him to continue his rounds before she glanced around the shelves, but Malfoy had disappeared. She headed back upstairs to Gryffindor Tower with a confused heart. It wasn't until she knocked the flower to the floor while changing her shirt that she realized it was still stuck in her hair. _

The first thing Hermione saw when she woke up the next morning was the three orchids sitting on her bedside table. They weren't even the slightest bit wilted. She ran a hand through her tangled hair and let out a sigh. Even a night's sleep couldn't simplify her troubled thoughts.

She pulled herself out of bed and headed down to breakfast where Harry and Ginny waited.

"Morning," she said as she sat down.

"You got in late last night," Ginny said. She looked much more awake than Harry, picking eagerly at a plate of sausage. He was bent over the table with shadows under his eyes, dangerously close to falling asleep in his porridge.

Hermione shrugged. "I was studying, needed to take my mind off things."

That roused Harry a bit and he turned his concerned green eyes on her. "What? What's wrong?"

She took a deep breath. Everyone was sure to find out eventually, and it would be better for Harry to find out from her than from anyone else. Ginny nodded her encouragement. "Ron and I broke up. Two days ago."

"What happened?"

"We…we just wanted different things." Hermione really didn't want to have to explain the whole story. She took a bite out of a pastry filled with fruit.

Harry gave Ginny a confused glance and she just shook her head a bit. "Okay," Harry said. "Do you need anything?"

Hermione gave him a thankful smile. "I'm fine. Really."

She surprised herself by how true the words felt. Thoughts of Malfoy pushed their way into her head, but she forced them back out. Her heart felt light and she wasn't ready to be weighted down by her confusion over the Slytherin again just yet.

Something tickled her neck and she reached up to see another paper bird hop down onto her hand. She glanced at Harry and Ginny, but they were distracted talking about plans for the first Hogsmeade trip.

Hermione hid the paper bird in her lap and tapped it with her wand. There was only one sentence in Malfoy's now familiar delicate scroll.

_Good morning, because I didn't get to say good night. _

Hermione glanced up in the direction of the Slytherin table and easily spotted Malfoy's blond hair facing away from her. His head leaned on one hand as he picked at his breakfast.

She pulled out a quill and bottle of ink. Glancing once more over her shoulder at her friends, she crouched over the note.

_Good morning,_ she scrawled. Then she folded the note back into a bird and blew it into the air. Malfoy jumped as it landed on his shoulder, but let it hop down his arm before he unfolded it.

"I need to get to Ancient Runes," Hermione said. "I'm sure I'll see you both tonight."

"See you later," Harry replied.

Ginny gave her a reassuring smile. "Have a good day."

"Thanks." Hermione clambered out of her seat. "You too." She threw her bag over her shoulder and was surprised when a paper bird fluttered down as she walked out of the Great Hall.

This one said, _Are you all right?_

Hermione waited until she arrived in Ancient Runes to answer, _I'm fine. Are you? _

The reply came in the middle of class, thankfully while the professor was focused on correcting another student after they'd unintentionally spelled something obscene. _Why wouldn't I be? _

Hermione could almost hear Malfoy's arrogant voice as she read the letter, could imagine his face smooth with pride but his eyes downcast with hidden sadness. She struggled with the rest of class, mixing up easy runes, as she tried to think of a reply.

She had to wipe away the ink of the previous messages with her wand to give herself room to write. She felt a pang of regret as she watched Draco's words disappear, without knowing why.

_What class are you in? _She finally decided on, refusing to dwell on the strangeness of the fact that she was now passing notes in class with Draco Malfoy of all people.

_History of Magic. Send help immediately. You? _

Hermione pressed her mouth into her hand to keep herself from snickering. _Guess. _Underneath her note, she spelled out her name in runes.

She was already out and in the library by the time the bird returned. _Ah, Ancient Runes. _

_Yes. By the way, I didn't know anyone took History of Magic after OWLs. _

_If only someone had told me that before I signed up for it. You know, someday our grandchildren will come to Hogwarts and they'll complain about Professor Binns and we'll be able to say "He was teaching when I was in school!" How many grandparents can really say that? _

_Can I ask you a question? _

_You just did, Granger. _

_Why did you come back to Hogwarts? _Hermione packed up her stuff and headed off to Transfiguration. The bird fluttered in and landed on her shoulder while McGonagall's back was turned, but she didn't dare open it until class was over.

Anticipation made her hands shake and she almost ripped the paper as she hurried to unfold it.

_I needed to take my NEWTs. I'm considering becoming a Healer. Why did you? I heard there's a post waiting at the Ministry. _

Hermione tried to picture Malfoy as a Healer; wearing the white robes, running around St. Mungo's and helping patients. It was like trying to picture a swimming cat.

_I don't know if I want to take it. I just wanted to give myself all the options. _

She was sitting in Arithmancy just before dinner when she received: _You just couldn't leave exams untaken. _

He was right, of course. Hermione stared at the note, trying to decide if he was being cruel or teasing. That was the only problem with notes: no tone of voice or body language to judge by. Ignoring the fact that Malfoy wasn't exactly an open book even when he was standing right in front of her.

Before she could come to a decision, a conversation in the back of the class caught her attention.

"His boss caught them together," a Hufflepuff girl was saying. "They were making out in his office. Can you believe that?"

The girl next to her huffed, "I guess even war heroes can fall. Do you know who the girl was?"

Hermione could hear chairs scraped across the floor as they moved closer together to listen. "Padma Patil."

"Isn't she the girl that he took to the Yule Ball?" A third voice, also female, entered the conversation.

Hermione felt like she was going to be sick. She held her breath, hoping she was wrong somehow about the subject of their gossip. Then the Hufflepuff said, "Yes, yes she was. Ron went as her date but she went off to dance with a Durmstrang bloke because he wouldn't pay any attention to her."

"Guess he's not having any trouble paying attention to her now, huh?"

"Girls," the professor interrupted. "Have you finished the assignment?"

Hermione tried to return her attention to her work as the three girls accepted their scolding, but it was impossible. Ron was a free man now and at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he liked, but it had only been two days!

Fury burned in her heart and she had to set the paper bird free to keep from crushing it to a pulp in her hand. Minutes passed like a snail race until finally she was able to bolt from the room. Angry tears brimmed in her eyes as she made straight for the only place she could think to go.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry this took so long! It's almost the end of the semester and I've been swamped with work. I'll try to have the next chapter up much more quickly. **

_Fury burned in her heart and she had to set the paper bird free to keep from crushing it to a pulp in her hand. Minutes passed like a snail race until finally she was able to bolt from the room. Angry tears brimmed in her eyes as she made straight for the only place she could think to go. _

The Room produced the same space that she'd spent the evening with Malfoy in, only with one couch instead of two this time and a punching bag in the corner.

Hermione supposed the Room was trying to be funny, or at least helpful, but she wasn't amused.

She paced up and down the floor, seething with rage. Had she really meant so little to Ron? She's always known him to be a little impulsive and insensitive, but she'd thought their time together in the War had taught him something.

Apparently not.

Hermione felt a powerful need to throw something. She seized the first thing she saw—a glass vase that matched the color of Ron's hair—and chucked it across the room. It shattered against the wall with a satisfying sound.

She was so busy searching for something else to throw that she didn't notice when the door opened and Malfoy stepped in.

"What's going on?" he asked, hesitating to walk farther into the room where he might become a target.

Hermione turned on him, her hair a wild mess around her face and her eyes sparking with fury. She grabbed another vase and hurled it across the room.

"Apparently the minute he was free, he went and found the first woman that would have him," she snarled. "Seven years of friendship, one year of being together, and it meant so little to him that he couldn't even wait a _week_." Hermione's hand hesitated on the spine of a book, but even she wasn't angry enough for that.

She reached for a ceramic sculpture of a spider instead.

"Ron?" Draco's voice was soft and soothing. He took a step forward, but froze when Hermione pulled out her wand.

"_Expelliarmus,"_ he whispered and caught it in his hand.

"Give it back!" Hermione whipped around and held out her hand. "Give it back to me now."

Malfoy shook his head and Hermione let out a strange yowl, seizing another vase. Before she could throw it, Malfoy rushed forward and pinned her arms to her sides. She struggled against him until all the fight just rushed out of her.

The tears, lurking in the back of her eyes under the anger, came pouring down.

She clutched at Malfoy's arms as she sobbed into his shoulder. He tried not to cringe away as he patted her awkwardly on the back.

"Ron and I broke up," Hermione cried, her voice shaking. "Two days ago. I heard today that he got caught making out with some girl in his office."

Malfoy didn't say anything. He just guided her to the couch and sat her down. The door opened and a house elf peeked in.

"Will you be needing any tea, Mr. Malfoy?" he squeaked.

"Yes, please," Malfoy murmured. The house elf brought it in on a tray, the same tea set that had been in the room before. When the house elf was gone, Malfoy poured out two cups and pushed one into Hermione's hands.

Hermione didn't have the energy to feel any more. She slumped over on the couch, the warmth of the tea seeping into her hands. Every beat of her heart sent broken glass shooting through her veins. She took a sip of tea and the warmth spread through her body, chasing away the chills.

"Can I have my wand back now?" Hermione asked.

Malfoy gave her a cautious smile as he pulled it out from behind him. "Are you sure that you're not going to curse me into oblivion?"

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm sure. Ron, however, I make no promises." She put her tea cup back on the table.

Malfoy set the wand in her lap as she reached over to take it from him. His hand slid over her own, electricity sparking through their skin. Hermione flinched away, but not in disgust this time.

She sat up and waved her wand. _Reparo, _she thought. The vases and spider sculpture flew into the air as they reassembled themselves and she directed them all back to their places.

"The room probably would have done that," Malfoy said.

"I know." Hermione picked up her tea cup and sat back on the couch. "I just wanted to do it myself."

She tucked her legs up underneath her on the couch and sipped her tea. Her heart settled down in her chest as she went over recent events in her head. The only time she could remember being this angry at a person for something like this was when Ron had abandoned them in the woods. And Malfoy had been there to witness it.

"Why are you here?" Hermione asked.

He shrugged and took a sip of tea to buy himself time before answering. "I needed some peace."

She let out a shaky laugh. "I'm sorry that I had to ruin the chance of that."

"It's fine." He chuckled, the sound low and musical in the quiet room.

"Why'd you choose _Crucio?_" Hermione asked. "For your essay? Out of all the curses that we could have chosen?"

Malfoy hesitated. Hermione could see the cup in his hands trembling ever so slightly. "You know why."

"Tell me." She drained her cup and set it on the table. He waited until she was settled back down on the couch with her full attention turned toward him to answer.

"I wanted to know why it was invented. Why someone would want to be able to cause that much pain to another person." Malfoy's voice was velvet soft as he said it and his heart in his eyes. Hermione felt like she was seeing a side of him that hadn't existed until recently, a side that had witnessed truly horrible things and didn't know how to process them.

She'd felt the same way after the War.

"I chose the Imperius Curse for the same reason. How did someone invent a curse that forces someone else to do their bidding?" Hermione's spine tingled and she found herself leaning forward, resting her head against the back of the couch.

Malfoy copied her position so that he was close enough for her to inhale his scent: pine needles and tea. He reached up for her, wiping away the traces of tears from her cheek with his thumb.

"I'm sorry," he said and the pain in his voice told her it was true. His silver eyes searched hers and she didn't flinch away.

"You're different," Hermione whispered as he took his hand away. Her skin felt cold without the presence of his warmth.

"What?"

She leaned away, needing to put some more space between them. His closeness was making it impossible to _think._ She couldn't be here right now, couldn't be doing this with Malfoy, couldn't be letting him touch her like this. This was the boy who'd called her a Mudblood, who'd insulted their trio hundreds of times, who'd almost killed Ron and Katie in his mission to kill Dumbledore.

So why couldn't she convince herself to leave?

Hermione's head hurt and she closed her eyes, wanting to block out the light that was only making it worse. She felt the shift in weight as Malfoy left the couch, followed by something soft and warm being draped over her shoulders. She sensed Malfoy standing next to the couch, but she couldn't convince herself to open her eyes to investigate further.

The last thing she felt before she drifted off to sleep was someone's lips brushing over her forehead, so gently that she was sure she must have imagined it.


	13. Chapter 13

_The last thing she felt before she drifted off to sleep was someone's lips brushing over her forehead, so gently that she was sure she must have imagined it. _

Hermione woke to the strong scent of tea mixed with flowers. Resting on the table was a pot of tea, a single cup, and a vase filled with orchids, yellow ones this time. She sat up on the couch, blinking until the previous night came flooding back.

She let out a groan as she poured herself a cup of tea and leaned back to sip it. The clock over the couch chimed the hour. Harry and Ginny wouldn't expect her for breakfast for some time, so she had some time to relax and regroup before that time came.

_How could I have been so reckless? What am I supposed to do now? _She'd behaved horribly after hearing the rumors—which, she reminded herself, might not even be _true_—and Malfoy had been there to witness it. Not only witness it, comfort her. It had been a while since she'd let anyone in like that and now…with Malfoy…

Finally she gathered enough courage to get up and head to the Gryffindor common room, braced for an interrogation from Ginny. Most everyone had already headed down to breakfast, so she was able to slip into the girls' dorm and change clothes before she went to join them.

"Hermione!" Ginny's face split open with delight when she joined them at the table. "Where were you all last night?"

Hermione ducked her head to hide the slight blush on her cheeks. She hadn't really expected Ginny to dismiss her absence, but she had hoped she would. "I was tired after patrols last night and fell asleep in the Room of Requirement. Sorry."

"Are you sure that's all?" Ginny narrowed her eyes, looking her over with a skeptical expression. "Everything's okay?"

"Yeah." Hermione adjusted the orchid tucked behind her ear. "Everything's good."

"Hermione," a wistful voice interrupted as Luna slipped into an empty seat next to her. "That's a beautiful flower."

"Thank you."

"A yellow orchid." Luna looked like she might just float away as she eyed it. "Do you know what that means?"

Hermione expected that yellow orchids probably had some sort of secret use of chasing away nargles or some such nonsense. "What?"

"Some say they symbolize new beginnings."

Hermione started, almost knocking over her water glass in the process. "Oh."

"Very appropriate, I would say." She pushed herself back away from the table and looked down to where Neville was watching her. "Goodbye, Hermione." Luna skipped away.

"To new beginnings," Ginny said, raising her glass in the air. Harry and Hermione clinked theirs against it, but Hermione's eyes were automatically drawn to the Slytherin table. Malfoy's blond hair was conspicuously absent.

_To new beginnings. For all of us, _she thought.

The next two weeks passed in a whirlwind of activity. Professors, having been lax for the first month of the term, suddenly seemed to realize that they couldn't afford to be lax anymore. Hermione's typical solitary evenings studying weren't so solitary anymore as her fellow students found their way to the library.

She felt about ready to explode when Headmistress McGonagall summoned her to her office on a Friday evening just as she was heading back to the Gryffindor tower after hours spent in the library.

She knocked twice and McGonagall's voice called for her to enter. Ernie was already waiting, occupying one of the two chairs in front of the Headmistress's desk. Hermione claimed the second one, glad to be able to sit down.

"Thank you for joining us, Miss Granger," the Headmistress began. "I have been talking to the other professors about the need to encourage inter-House relations among the students here, especially after…past events." Her eyes flickered toward the portrait of Dumbledore on the wall for a split second. "To this end, we have decided to throw a ball, on the second of November."

Hermione was sure that she must have heard wrong. "A _ball?"_

McGonagall maintained her perfectly composed posture. "Similar to the Yule Ball held during the Triwizard Tournament. It's meant to bring all four houses closer together."

Hermione thought back to the Yule Ball and swallowed hard, thinking of Ron and Malfoy and her light pink dress.

Ernie asked, "What are we meant to do, Headmistress?"

"I wanted to make you both aware of it. You'll be released from Head Boy and Girl duties throughout the night, for the most part," she replied. "Do you have something to say, Miss Granger?"

_Why? Why now? Why did we have to hold the stupid Yule Ball in the first place? Why a ball of all things to encourage House relations? _"I think it's a wonderful idea, Headmistress."

"Thank you. If that's all, you are both free to go."

Hermione stumbled to her feet and out the door before Ernie could move. She pushed the ball and thoughts of orchids to the back of her mind, to be addressed later when she had more sleep. She didn't know how she made it back to the Gryffindor tower, but she must have made it somehow because minutes later she fell into the warm embrace of her bed.

The Great Hall was completely silent when Hermione walked in the next morning. Harry sat in his usual spot at the table, staring at a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ in front of his plate. Hermione's heart beat at a panicked pace.

"What's going on?" Hermione murmured and Harry pushed the paper over. The huge letters of the headline blazed out at her: "Previously Unknown Death Eater Kills Three."

She felt sick.

"The Ministry will catch them," Harry said. Hermione nodded, a picture of Ron chasing down a masked Death Eater playing out in her head.

Needing to do something, Hermione picked up the paper and skimmed the article, words popping out at her. "…_wore Death Eater robes and mask…killed a family of three Muggles…may be seeking revenge…unknown if other Death Eaters are involved…Aurors decline to comment…" _

"I'm sure they will," Hermione replied. Her heart sank as she stared at the moving, black and white photograph of a destroyed house. It was a tiny place with a wrap-around porch. It could have been a real estate advert, if it wasn't for the fact that half the roof had been blown away. _That could be my house,_ she thought.

She shoved the paper away, mind racing. _Is this just one Death Eater, or are there more? How many could be involved? _

Along with the one thought she couldn't afford to entertain: _Is this only the beginning? _

When Ginny arrived, Hermione handed her the paper without a word. She skimmed the headline, growing paler with every second before tossing it aside and collapsing into her usual seat. The three of them sat together for the rest of breakfast, not speaking, not even touching.

Hermione hadn't felt Ron's absence this keenly in weeks. It was like old times again, the three of them with a storm breathing down their necks.

Hermione glanced toward the Slytherin table. Did any of them know something about the attack? Did Malfoy?

It was all anyone could talk about for the rest of the day. Rumors flew. Hermione felt a constant itch to know more, gather more information, but this wasn't something she could learn from a book.

After classes, she headed straight to the Room of Requirement. If only she could just take an hour and _think…_

The Room had formed itself into a cozy sitting area when she entered. There was a roaring fireplace along the back wall, circled by two red velvet armchairs. There were shelves crammed with books along both walls to either side. The entire room smelled of lavender and paper.

Hermione let out a sigh of relief when she realized that both chairs were empty. She fell into one of them, curling up into a ball and staring into the flames.

She had been so sure that all of this was finally over. That their life could more forward now, knowing that Voldemort was gone once and for all. This new attack just proved that they would never be safe. Not really.


	14. Chapter 14

_She had been so sure that all of this was finally over. That their life could move forward now, knowing that Voldemort was gone once and for all. This new attack just proved that they would never be safe. Not really. _

Hermione must have fallen into a light doze at some point, because she jolted up at the sound of the door to the Room of Requirement opening. Panic ripped through her. She leapt from the chair, crashing to the floor in a tangle of blankets. She crouched with her wand at the ready, waiting, watching.

Malfoy stepped through the door. He raised his eyebrows at her position and closed the door softly behind him. "If you're going to curse me, I suggest you do it quickly," Malfoy said.

Hermione, straightened, trying to return as much dignity as she could muster before tripping over the blanket as she tried to step away. Her hands fell to her sides, but she didn't let go of her wand. Her heart still thumped with hard learned distrust.

"Is everything okay?" Malfoy took a step forward.

Hermione shuddered and moved back away from her armchair—and Malfoy. "Do you know anything about all this?"

His forehead wrinkled.

"About what?"

"The attacks." Hermione threw up her arms in exasperation. "The Death Eaters, do you know who it was? Was anyone else involved?"

Malfoy's eyes darkened to hard iron and his muscles tensed into a defensive stance. "I don't know anything about the attack. Why should I? I've been _here_ for the past couple months. Before that I was under house arrest until _they_ decided that it was safe for me to return."

Hermione didn't realize she was walking across the room until Malfoy was standing close enough to touch. The anger bubbled deep inside her, hot and dark. "You must have some idea," she pressed.

"Why don't you ask me what you really want to know?" He towered over her and Hermione couldn't remember a time when he'd ever looked so angry, not when she'd punched him in their third year, not when he'd been plotting Dumbledore's demise, not even during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Hermione took a deep breath. "Were you involved?"

"No." His voice cracked in her ears like a whip. "I'm not. And if I knew anything, I would make sure all of this was brought to an end."

"Why?" Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "You hate Muggles. You hate Mudbloods. You hate _everyone." _

"I don't hate everyone." For the tiniest second, his eyes flickered on the last word, but then it was gone and the hard look returned. Hermione wanted to look away, but she found that she couldn't. "Don't you think if I wanted to hurt someone, I could have done it ages ago? Like the night in here—" he motioned to the surrounding room "—with you."

Hermione swallowed hard, her mouth and throat dry. She thought of the Malfoy she'd seen recently, the one with tortured eyes that poured her cups of tea. Even those thoughts couldn't stop the flood of memories: Malfoy with his wicked grin being Sorted into Slytherin, Malfoy capturing them under Umbridge's tyranny, Malfoy standing by while she was tortured.

She pushed them all away and stepped so close to him that she could breathe in his scent and see the muscles in his throat flex as he swallowed hard. "I don't seem to recall you fighting for our side last year when this place was being invaded by _your_ kind," she hissed.

Malfoy's voice rose until he was almost shouting in frustration. "They're _not_ my kind."

"Prove it," Hermione growled.

His eyes glanced back and forth in desperation, muscles tensed with suppressed anger. Hermione felt a strange rush of satisfaction at having thrown him off-balance. Then Malfoy put his hands on her shoulders and, before she had time to flinch away, his lips were on hers.

The kiss was all fire and anger and desperation. Heat roared down Hermione's spine as she pressed her hands to his chest. His lips were rough and demanding. When his tongue reached down and traced her bottom lip, one thought finally broke through the fog.

_I'm kissing Malfoy. _

The rush of ice in her veins quenched the fire in seconds. Her hands clenched on his chest as she shoved him away. He stumbled back, catching himself against the wall before he could fall. Hermione stayed where she was, gasping for breath.

Malfoy looked up at her, but she found that she couldn't meet his gaze. Emotions twirled inside of her like a hurricane: fury, guilt, sorrow, even longing.

He opened his mouth to say something.

"Get out," Hermione whispered.

Malfoy's eyes darted around the room, looking everywhere but her. All the tension fell out of his muscles at once, making him slump back against the wall for support. For a second, Malfoy looked like he might stay and say whatever it was that was on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he turned his back to her and slipped back out the door. Hermione fell to the floor, too deeply in shock to make it back to the chair.

_What was that? _She'd kissed Malfoy. She'd _liked_ kissing Malfoy. Friendship was one thing. It was easy, simple, to explain away that they were just two outsiders seeking comfort in the same room. But this…this was anything but simple. It took her a few minutes before she realized that she believed him when he said he didn't know what the Death Eaters were up to this time.

Once she'd come to that conclusion, she realized that she needed a game plan. She couldn't avoid Malfoy forever. He was in her Potions class, for Merlin's sake. Then again, she wasn't sure if she really _wanted _to avoid him. When she'd felt most alone, he of all people had been there for her. She sat on the floor, the warmth from the fire seeping into her bones, until well after midnight.

By the time she fell into her bed in the Gryffindor tower, she had come to one conclusion: whatever had happened was past now and she couldn't see Malfoy like that again. If anyone found out, she could lose her friends and her life as she knew it. The kiss was a one-time thing and that's the way it would have to be. If that meant she could only see Malfoy in classes, then so be it.

A week passed with her resolve intact. She refused to look at Malfoy any longer than necessary. He faded into the background, just another student in the thousands. She stopped hiding out in the Room of Requirement, choosing instead the library, the Gryffindor common room, or seeking solace in a little alcove behind a tapestry that she'd found on the Map.

Until one evening when she was walking in the hallway and something tapped her on the shoulder.

Hermione turned, expecting to see a friend or perhaps a lost first-year looking for guidance. Instead, there was a paper bird fluttering at shoulder-height.

She reached out a hand and it landed in her palm. This one wasn't as delicately folded as all the previous ones. It seemed slap-dash at best, bits of paper sticking out at odd angles and a small tear at the top of its head.

Hermione ran down the hallway to her alcove hideaway and unfolded it with shaking hands.

Printed at the center were only two words, in a handwriting she'd only seen a few times but would recognize anywhere: _I'm sorry. _

Regret and longing burned in her chest. Whether it was regret for the kiss that changed everything or the past, she really couldn't say.

Hermione stared at it for what seemed like days, before she realized that it didn't change anything. She was still Hermione Granger, war hero and best friend to Harry Potter, and he was still Draco Malfoy, Death Eater and the would-be killer of Dumbledore. Even so, she found herself folding the parchment back up and stowing it away in a pocket of her robes.

Hermione turned her attention to her Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. It was almost finished, already over a roll longer than their professor's specifications, but she needed just a touch more research before she could be satisfied. She peeked out from behind the tapestry and, satisfied that no one was there to see her hiding place, slipped out and down to the library.

The book called out to her like old friends as she ran her finger down their spines. In the back of the Restricted Section she found the shelves she was looking for and started tugging down volumes.

"A Head Girl sneaking into the Restricted Section," a voice said behind her. "Scandalous." Hermione squeaked and dropped the books in her hands with a resounding crash. As she bent to pick them up, Malfoy knelt next to her to help.

"I have a permanent pass," Hermione snapped once they were all stacked safely once more in her arms. "Now if you'll excuse me…" She moved to push past him.

Malfoy let her go, but whispered, "Hermione."

She froze, the sound of her name strange on his lips. "Yes?" She refused to give him the satisfaction of turning around, refused to acknowledge the way her heart tingled at the knowledge that he was standing right behind her.

"I am sorry."

Hermione turned around slowly, but kept her gaze on her books. She was afraid of the things she might feel if she looked up and into those now-familiar silver eyes. "I'm sorry I accused you."

Malfoy shrugged. "If our positions were reversed, I'm sure I would question me too."

"Still…I jumped to conclusions…" Hermione looked up, eyes following the proud lines of his shoulders up his neck to his face. His mouth was in a tight straight line and his eyes wide with confusion.

"I actually came here to ask you something." He clasped his hands behind his back. "Would you mind reading over my essay?"

Hermione's eyes searched his and her face broke into a cautious smile. Homework was something she could understand and deal with. Maybe this could be simple after all. "I wouldn't mind at all."

Her heart beat a little faster as Malfoy motioned for her to go first over the rope and back into the rest of the library. Then again…maybe not.


	15. Chapter 15

_Her heart beat a little faster as Malfoy motioned for her to go first over the rope and back into the rest of the library. Then again…maybe not. _

As the days went on, Hermione began to settle into a comforting routine. When her classes and Head Girl duties for each day were done, she met Malfoy in the library. He never offered to move their time back to the Room and she was thankful for that. It was too full of the memories of the fight and the aftermath, memories she wasn't yet ready to face.

On the morning of the first Hogsmeade visit, the excited murmurings of the new third years were silenced by the morning post. Those who received the _Daily Prophet_ passed it on to those who didn't, everyone desperate for news. Hermione accepted a copy from a grave Harry.

"_Death Eaters Strike Again._"Hermione gasped. "_Helena Cartwright, 34, was found dead in her home early this morning by Ministry officials, the Dark Mark set over the house. She was suspected to be involved in the attack on Hogwarts during the War, but cleared on the grounds that she was under the Imperius Curse. _

_"Tavian Watts, 44, was also found dead in his home. He was a confirmed Death Eater during the War, suspected in the deaths of Emmaline Vance and many others, but provided vital information to the Ministry resulting in the capture of an undisclosed number of Death Eaters._"

"They're getting bolder," Ginny whispered.

"Punishing those involved in the War," Hermione said, passing the paper along to a white-faced fourth year. "Even the cursed." She shared a glance with Harry across the table. He was smiling comfortingly but his eyes betrayed his fear.

The Hogsmeade visit went on as planned, though the excited chatter had died down considerably. After lunch, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny headed out of the castle and into the village. They wandered through the busy streets, stopping at Zonko's and Honeydukes before heading for the Three Broomsticks. Harry and Ginny held hands the whole time, leaning their heads close to talk, which left Hermione to wander after them with a deep pang of loneliness.

"Three butterbeers please," Hermione said. She looked back toward Harry and Ginny just in time to see Harry lean over for a quick kiss.

After a half hour of sparse conversation, Hermione seized the moment to excuse herself. "I'm going to see if I can find a dress for the ball. I'll catch back up with you at the castle."

"Okay." Ginny's expression was caught between asking if she wanted company and a thankful smile.

"See you at the castle, Hermione," Harry said.

Hermione dropped a couple sickles on the table and resisted the urge to run out of the bar. As she set off down the path, the door opened and closed behind her. She continued on with a powerful itch of being followed at her back.

She kept going until the sound of footsteps made it impossible to ignore. Hermione turned around, expecting to see Harry or Ginny trailing her, but instead it was Malfoy.

"Granger," he said, his voice familiarly arrogant but his expression lacking his usual sneer.

"Malfoy." She kept walking and he followed on her heels.

"I have a Potions essay due in a couple days. Any chance you can look it over tonight?" Malfoy dropped his voice low enough to be sure that only she heard him. He was close enough that she could catch his usual scent, laced this time with burnt sugar, and it made her skin tingle.

"Library. After dinner." She felt breathless but her voice came out completely steady.

"See you." She didn't hear him go, but when she glanced back over her shoulder he had disappeared. Hermione glanced around, searching for him ducking around a corner, but there were only a few of her fellow students laughing as they peeked through the windows of Zonko's.

Hermione wandered down the street until she came to a little shop with dresses and formal robes in the windows. She pushed inside, a bell tinkling above the door.

The shop looked small, but seemed to have a very wide selection. A little counter stood in the middle, surrounded by racks and racks of merchandise. Before Hermione could take another step inside, an older woman stepped in from a back door. Her gray hair was tied back into a loose ponytail and a crochet needle was tucked behind one ear.

"What can I help you with, dear?" she said.

"Hogwarts is throwing a ball in a couple weeks and I'm looking for a dress," she said.

She immediately started sorting through the racks of dresses. "Are you looking for anything in particular?"

"Floor-length. Not strapless. Preferably not pink." Hermione thought back to the pale pink dress she'd worn to the last ball. She didn't have anything against pink but she wasn't willing to do anything that might bring back that night.

The shopkeeper started to hang dresses over her arm until she had a considerable stack. Once she deemed her choices acceptable, she pushed them on Hermione and directed her to a tiny room at the back of the store. "Let me know if you need anything sized."

"Thank you." Hermione shut herself in and turned to the dresses. Some of them she rejected out-right—including a lime green number, and a dress with the bodice covered almost entirely in sequins—and others she hung up on the wall to try on.

She tried on dresses until she was just thinking about wearing her old Yule Ball dress if it would make all of this easier. There was just one left—an off-white halter dress—that she slipped on with a heavy sigh.

Hermione expected disappointment as she turned to the mirror for the hundredth time but instead her breath caught in her throat.

It was perfect. The bodice was fitted and emphasized her body perfectly. There were two frilly straps with glitter covering her shoulders, gold clasps connecting them to the bodice. The floor-length skirt swished around her feet.

She opened the door with a creak and stepped into the store. "I'll take it," she said.

"Excellent." The shopkeeper's face split into a grin. "You just go change and I'll ring everything up for you." A few minutes later, Hermione bounced out of the shop with the wrapped dress draped over her arm.

The rest of the day raced by in a blur, the remainder of the afternoon spent in the Gryffindor common room with Harry and Ginny. Hermione tried not to think about meeting Malfoy, because every time the thought crossed her mind she felt butterflies hatching in her stomach. She couldn't stop thinking about how much him standing so close to her in Hogsmeade had affected her.

After dinner, Hermione gathered up her homework and headed down to the library. The butterflies were gone, replaced only by anticipation. Malfoy was already waiting, settled down at their usual table in a shadowed corner.

"Let's see it," Hermione said as she sat down. Malfoy pushed his paper across to her and she happily dived into it.

She jotted down her notes, quill scratching across the page with ink magicked red. When she was done, she pushed the rolls of parchment across the table. Malfoy reached for them at the same time, his hand slipping over hers. Hermione resisted the urge to jerk away, her skin strangely hot where he'd touched her.

His eyes jerked up, holding her gaze for a moment before looking back down at his essay. "Wow." Malfoy raised his eyebrows. "Should I just burn it and redo the whole thing?"

Hermione chuckled. "I don't think that's necessary." She crouched over her notes and lost herself in the sound of turning pages and scratching quills. Her heart felt content in Malfoy's company, even more so than wandering around Hogsmeade with Harry and Ginny. She wondered what would have happened if things were different, if she and Malfoy had been on the same side of the War, instead of opposite, and if it really mattered.

Hermione looked up, watching Malfoy's face screwed up in concentration as he worked on rewriting his essay. Her heart beat faster and she hurried to look back down before he caught her watching.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thanks everyone for the wonderful reviews! I read and cherish every one of them. **

_Hermione looked up, watching Malfoy's face screwed up in concentration as he worked on rewriting his essay. Her heart beat faster and she hurried to look back down before he caught her watching. _

Despite McGonagall's promise that the Hogwarts Ball would require minimal effort on the part of Hermione and Ernie, she found the days before busier than ever. There were arrangements and decorations and food and security and countless other things that had to be taken care of.

She took to the Gryffindor common room for her homework, not even having the few extra minutes it would take to walk to the library. She found herself missing Malfoy and couldn't wait for the ball to be over, if only because it would mean having time to see him again.

On Thursday, Hermione was sitting by the fireplace when a paper bird landed on the table and pecked at her quill.

"Hey, little guy," she said, glancing around to make sure everyone had already gone to bed. It was late, the moonlight casting a glow through the window. She picked the bird up and unfolded it, smiling at Malfoy's familiar handwriting.

_You haven't been to the library recently. Did the Death Eaters get to you? _

Hermione knows he means it as a joke, but it's hard for her to smile. Truth be told, she missed Malfoy. They rarely talked during their evenings together, but it was still nice not to be alone.

_I'm alive, but this pile of homework might kill me. _

She folded the bird back up and tossed it into the air. She watched it flutter away with a smile before turning back to her work. Hermione struggled to concentrate but she couldn't get her focus away from listening for the soft sound of paper wings.

She'd given up and curled into a ball in the chair by the time the bird landed back on her knee.

_Don't work yourself to death. Who else will read my papers and tell me how terrible they are? _

_I'll try. Just two more days until the ball and then maybe I'll actually have time to myself. Are you going? _

_Do I have to? _

_It would be nice if all our efforts to decorate didn't go to waste. _

Malfoy never replied and eventually Hermione gave up waiting for one. She felt let down as she stumbled up the stairs. She hadn't realized how much she wanted Malfoy to be there until it seemed like he wouldn't be. Harry and Ginny would probably only have eyes for themselves all evening, and at least Malfoy would be a friend.

Hermione felt anxious as she surveyed the Great Hall. There was a stage in front where the staff table usually stood, a band setting up on top of it. Candles surrounded the room and, along with the full moon in the ceiling, provided a soft glow. The rest of the Great Hall was decorated like a winter wonderland, complete with snow lining the walls, icicles hanging from the ceiling, and a giant ice sculpture in the middle of the refreshments table.

"You look gorgeous," Ginny said, appearing through the door next to her.

"So do you," Hermione replied, smiling as she turned to take in the redhead's dress. It was strapless, with a dark gold bodice and skirt. Sheer gold material cascaded from her waist to the floor, where it swished around her ankles.

"Thanks. Nice touch with the headband by the way."

Hermione reached up to touch the black headband with a white orchid twined around it. Her hair was twisted back into a neat bun behind it, the product of magic and time. The flower reminded her of Malfoy and she resisted the urge to survey the room for him. "Thank you."

They chattered on about the decorations for another half hour, as people started to fill the room. Once the band started up, Hermione nudged Ginny away to go dance with Harry. She hid out in the corner, watching the two of them dance with a smile on her face. In the middle of the floor, surrounded by students giving them a wide berth, were Neville and Luna. Neville seemed to be having trouble following Luna's lead, as she performed an odd stepping dance that sent her arms and legs pin-wheeling.

Hermione searched the faces for Malfoy's familiar one and came up short. She thought about sending him a bird, but she didn't think the action would go unnoticed.

And she didn't exactly have any paper tucked away in her bodice either.

Hermione ignored the feelings of disappointment and accepted Ernie's hand when he came over to invite her to dance. She danced and swirled and smiled with her friends until her feet started to kill and she would give anything for a drink.

"I'm going to sit down," she told them and weaved her way out of the crowd. Sipping her punch, she watched the crowd. The ball seemed to be a success when it came to the mixing of Houses. There was a Hufflepuff boy dancing with a Gryffindor girl, and a Ravenclaw girl kissing a Hufflepuff boy in the corner. There was even a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin chatting as they eyed the ice sculpture mischievously.

Perhaps the lines of House segregation were becoming even more blurred. Still, she couldn't imagine anyone smiling on while she danced with Malfoy. Especially not the way they were looking at Harry and Ginny now, as they spun slowly in the middle of the floor.

For the first time in a long time, Hermione thought immediately of Ron. She'd been so sure that after all these years, their time had finally come. The voices and music buzzed in her ears, making it impossible to think. Needing some air, she tossed aside her cup and headed out of the Hall.

Hermione stepped out onto the grounds the cool air brushing over her skin. She kicked off her shoes, sighing with relief, and walked down to the lake. The moon lit up the sky and guided her way.

Hermione jumped when she saw the dark figure by the banks. It turned around and she realized. Malfoy. His blond hair glowed in the moonlight and he looked handsome in forest green robes.

"Tempting the giant squid?" Hermione asked when he didn't speak, walking a little closer behind him.

Malfoy smiled as he turned back to the lake. "Dances aren't really my thing. Besides, you and I both know that no one wants me there." His voice was low and soft, and Hermione's heart ached.

"I invited you, didn't I?" She stepped up beside him.

Malfoy scuffed his feet in the dirt. "I wouldn't have wanted all of your hard work to go to waste. The Great Hall does look nice."

"Thank you." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you think it's working? The whole 'encouraging inter-House relations' thing."

"We're talking, aren't we?" He shoots her a crooked, sarcastic smile and it's weird how many times she's seen that face but never has it affected her like this.

"I suppose we are." Hermione shivered as a breeze kicked up and raised goosebumps on her skin.

Without a word, Malfoy slipped out of his robes and draped them over her shoulders. They were longer than her own—too long—but warm and smelled like Malfoy. The thought made her face burn. "May I have this dance?" he asked, offering her his hand. Music wafted down from the castle.

Hermione looked over, eyes surprised, but accepted his hand. He slipped the other around her waist and, after a moment's hesitation, she rested hers on his shoulder.

"You look beautiful tonight," he murmured. They moved slowly in tandem, Hermione following his lead. Electricity crackled under Hermione's skin.

"Do you ever wish that we could go back?" Hermione asked.

She could feel his muscles tensing under her hands at her words. His voice was low and soft as he replied, "There is no going back."

"Draco." Her voice was a whisper. The name felt strange on her tongue, but also right somehow.

He was so close that she could feel his breath on her skin. The image of him in the Room of Requirement filled her mind, her lips remembering the feel of his and longing to experience it again.

Hermione closed the gap between them, pressing her lips softly against his. She moved back again, looking up into Draco's eyes. They looked like liquid silver, holding emotions that she couldn't identify. She started to pull away, afraid she'd crossed a line that couldn't be fixed this time, but Draco pulled her back against him and kissed her again.


	17. Chapter 17

_Hermione closed the gap between them, pressing her lips softly against his. She moved back again, looking up into Draco's eyes. They looked like liquid silver, holding emotions that she couldn't identify. She started to pull away, afraid she'd crossed a line that couldn't be fixed this time, but Draco pulled her back against him and kissed her again. _

The music had faded by the time they broke apart. They continued holding each other close as they caught their breath. Hermione felt like the world was standing still. She knew that she was going to have to think about this eventually, but for now she was content to just enjoy the ride.

"I should probably go before someone comes looking for me," Hermione said eventually. She felt dizzy and light, and she never wanted to come down from this high. Draco slipped his arms out from around her waist. His mouth smiled but the wrinkle in his forehead betrayed his tension.

"When can I see you again?" The words sent a shiver down Hermione's spine. His touch on her elbows loosened but he didn't move away.

"Monday in the library?" She replied breathlessly without a second thought.

Draco placed a kiss on her lips so soft that she felt the sweetness all the way down to her toes. "Meet you there."

They walked back to the castle together before going their separate ways. Any need for a goodbye had already been satisfied. Hermione touched her lips as he disappeared from her view, expecting any moment to wake up in her bed in Gryffindor tower. She almost took three wrong turns on the way up, and forgot for the first time in years to skip the screaming step just past the fourth floor.

"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed when she returned to the common room. "You disappeared on us. Did you have a good time?" Everyone was gathered around the fireplace, still in their formal robes and dresses, too restless to sleep. They turned to stare and Hermione felt the urge to straighten her dress in case Draco had rumpled it.

She suppressed a blush. "Wonderful." Hermione faked a yawn. "I'm exhausted so I think I'm going to go to bed. Have fun, you guys."

"Okay." Ginny's look was questioning but thankfully she kept her curiosity to herself. "Good night."

It was a struggle for Hermione to keep her eyes open as she changed from her dress and into her pajamas. As she crawled between her covers, she thought of Draco standing by the lake. The way his hair glowed in the moonlight. The way his eyes softened when he looked at her. The feel of his lips on hers.

Her heart felt lighter than it had in a long time as she drifted off to sleep.

The Sunday after the ball dragged on forever. Especially when Hermione went out on patrol and ended up being sucked into helping with the clean-up after the ball. It took a lot longer than expected, even with the aid of magic.

There was spilled punch to clean up and decorations to take down and the stage to dismantle. Headmistress McGonagall set her to work cleaning up the ice sculpture that someone had managed to magically melt during the course of the night.

Her mind wandered as she worked, thoughts of Draco swirling in her brain. She couldn't stop herself from glancing around every so often, searching for his familiar stance. Every time she was disappointed, but she couldn't decide if she was relieved or not. Every time she pictured seeing Draco standing there and coming over, her mouth went dry and she couldn't think of anything that she would say to him.

It wasn't until she fell into bed that night that she stopped worrying about what would happen _if_ she did see him, and started thinking about what would happen _when_ she met him. She tossed and turned for most of the night, plagued by nightmares of Death Eaters cursed into Inferi rising from the lake while she and Draco looked on.

On Monday evening, Hermione was almost shaking with nerves by the time she was due to meet Draco. She came downstairs with rolls of fresh parchment in her arms and froze at the bottom.

Ron sat in his usual armchair by the fire, a sheepish expression on his face. The parchment tumbled out of her arms. At the sound, Harry twisted around in his own chair.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, her voice hollow. She hurried to gather up her parchment just to have something to do with her hands.

"I wanted to talk to you about these attacks." He shrugged and ran his hand over the growing stubble on his chin.

Hermione walked over to take her seat. She was surprised by how haggard he looked. The light from the fireplace threw his face into sharp relief, illuminating the dark circles under his eyes and a new scar raking down his cheek.

"Do you have any idea who's involved?" Harry asked, turning back to Ron.

Ron's laughter was hollow and echoed in the empty room. "Death Eaters. They're not very organized, which makes them more dangerous and harder to track."

Hermione leaned forward on the edge of her seat. "How many?"

"There's no way to tell. Maybe just two, maybe thirty."

"What do you want from us?"

Ron ran a hand through his hair, making it stick in every direction. "The Ministry has everyone working on this. I just wanted to warn you both in person."

Harry looked exhausted. "Do you think they'll be bold enough to come here?"

"I doubt it." Ron wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. "The security of this place is just as strong as it was during the War, if not stronger. They're not organized enough for that kind of attack."

"What if they're already inside?" Harry asked. Hermione's heart jolted when she realized that he could only be thinking of Malfoy. She knew in her heart that he wasn't involved in any of this, but that didn't mean the children of other Death Eaters weren't.

"It's true that there are students here that fought on the side of the Death Eaters." Ron's voice was strangely formal, like he was holding a press conference instead of talking to his friends. It put Hermione's nerves on edge. "However, the Ministry doesn't think that any of them are involved."

"What do _you_ think?" Hermione asked. She wanted to shake him, tell him to snap out of this. That they were his _friends_ for Merlin's sake and that if he couldn't tell them the truth, then he couldn't trust anyone.

"I think that it's a possibility. Just…watch out, all right?"

Hermione nodded. "I'll double patrols. Make some excuse to Ernie. We'll make sure that anyone involved gets sent back to Azkaban."

"Sounds good. I know that you can handle it, Hermione." He smiled at her and she's surprised by the fact that she doesn't feel a thing. Once upon a time that smile would have made her glow with pride, but now she knows it doesn't mean much.

"Is that all? Speaking of patrols, I should really be out there right now." She waved her hand at the entrance to the common room, already getting to her feet.

Ron nodded and before he could say anything else, Hermione was already dashing for the portrait hole. She tried not to run as she weaved her way down to the library, taking secret passages and dashing down stairs two at a time. She froze as she turned the corner to their usual meeting place.

Draco wasn't there.

Hermione wandered the shelves, checking to make sure he wasn't just looking for books. Anxiety burrowed into her bones. Had something happened to him? Had he changed his mind, come to his senses in the hours since they had last stood there on the banks of the lake?

She started to backtrack, following the familiar path to the Room of Requirement. When she reached the open stretch of wall, the door appeared before she could even ask.

Hermione pulled it open and stepped inside. Relief washed over her as he recognized Draco sitting on a loveseat with his back to her.

The Room looked rich and comforting. The walls were wood-paneled and mostly obscured by bookshelves. The fireplace crackled as usual against the wall, the loveseat facing it.

Draco didn't turn around as Hermione closed the door. She stepped carefully across the floor and sat down on the other side of the couch.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said. "I went to the library but you were gone." Her arms crossed over her chest as she watched his face. She felt strangely guilty and uncomfortable.

"I thought you weren't coming." Finally he looked at her and she could see the insecurity in his eyes and the tightness in his mouth. It was the same insecurity that she felt when she realized he hadn't been waiting for her and it jabbed a stake into her heart.

More than anything, Hermione wanted to kiss it away. She clasped her hands her hands in her lap and said instead, "I got held up. Ron came to talk about the attacks?"

"Is there more news?" His voice rose hopefully as he looked at her.

Hermione shook her head. "They don't know much. The Death Eaters aren't organized this time. They're just attacking anyone they see as a traitor." She paused as Draco's eyes flashed. "They could come after you."

A smile teased at the corners of Draco's mouth. "Scared for me?"

Hermione shifted a little closer. "They _are_ hunting deserting Death Eaters."

"Hogwarts is safe."

A little closer. "You and I both know that's not quite true."

Draco smirked. "You'll keep me safe then."

"This is serious." Hermione glared at him. "They're not afraid to go after anyone. They're dangerous."

The smirk slipped from his face as he put his hand on her arm. "I'll be safe, Hermione."

The sound of her name on his lips sent a bolt of electricity through her. Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She crossed the remaining space between them and pressed her lips to his.

She tried to put all of her worry into the kiss, to make him see her fear and acknowledge it too. Draco pulled away abruptly. "They'll come after you, too," he said. "You helped Harry. The three of you are the ultimate prize." His voice was completely lacking in sarcasm; it was steady and low with concern. Hermione could feel the tension in his muscles underneath her hands.

She pushed aside the cold rush of fear and backed away from Draco. "You'll just have to protect me, then." She tried to smile but the joke comes out sounding hollow and pained. "I thought this was all finally over." Hermione curled up and stared into the fire.

Draco pulled a fur blanket down from the back of the couch and covered the both of them. When she leaned a little closer, his arm wrapped tentatively around her shoulders. Hermione shivered, feeling desperately cold even with the blanket and the fire. She burrowed closer to Draco's chest, craving the warmth as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I thought so too," he murmured. "Now I'm not sure if it will ever be over."


	18. Chapter 18

_Draco pulled a fur blanket down from the back of the couch and covered the both of them. When she leaned a little closer, his arm wrapped tentatively around her shoulders. Hermione shivered, feeling desperately cold even with the blanket and the fire. She burrowed closer to Draco's chest, craving the warmth as she rested her head on his shoulder. _

_"I thought so too," he murmured. "Now I'm not sure if it will ever be over." _

The clock indicated that it was well past midnight by the time Hermione pushed the blanket away. "I should get back before anyone misses me," she says.

Draco wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pulled her back in for a soft kiss. Her heart fluttered in her chest and she wished, more than anything, that she didn't have to leave.

"Tomorrow?" he whispered breathlessly.

Hermione sighed. "I can't. I'm going to step up patrols and I'll have to do my part."

"Maybe I'll just have to cause some trouble." Draco's eyes glimmered with mischief and Hermione laughed as she nudged him away.

"I'll see you in class. And I can meet you here on Wednesday." She ran her fingers through her bushy hair and straightened her clothes as she stood up.

Draco pushed the blanket aside and stood up next to her. "Not the same."

"I know it's not." Hermione tipped her head up to look him in the eye as he kissed her again. She didn't think she would ever get used to the warmth that spread through her body at the touch of his lips. "I really do have to go," she said when he broke away.

Draco fell back onto the couch. "I'll follow in a few minutes. Goodbye, Hermione."

"See you soon, Draco." He looked like he wanted to pull her back onto the couch with him at the sound of his name. Hermione hurried out before she realized how much she wanted to let him.

Hermione rolled out of bed the next morning before anyone else had even stirred. Ernie waited for her outside of the portrait hole, his eyes half-closed with exhaustion. It was just before dawn, time for their usual weekly patrol.

"I think we need to double patrols," Hermione blurted out, remembering Ron's warnings and the guarded concern behind Draco's eyes.

"Good morning to you, too." Ernie yawned. "Why would we need to do that? Has there been a lot of trouble?"

Hermione shook her head. "I'm worried there might be problems after all these attacks. If we can step up security, we should do it. I figure that the two of us can trade off nights. I'll take tonight."

"I'll talk to the prefects." Ernie sighed and yawned again. "They're not going to like it, but you're right about preventing problems."

They started walking, wands at the ready. Ernie looked like he was about to fall over any second, but Hermione didn't mention it. She kept her eyes wide and alert as she searched for any signs of rule-breaking.

By the time she headed to class three hours later, Hermione felt like she might fall over herself. The patrols had been quiet, not a soul in sight.

Draco was already in the Potions classroom and he didn't look up as she passed. Hermione forced herself to sit down next to Harry. She was powerfully aware of Draco just three tables back, shuffling around his cauldron. It made his skin prickle with the desire to turn around and just watch him.

"We'll be making a Babbling Beverage today," Professor Slughorn said as everyone settled into their seats. "Instructions are in your book. It needs to simmer for two days, so you won't finish until next class."

Hermione flipped through her book until she found the right page. She was just counting out black beetle eyes when a paper bird landed a little too close to the fire underneath her cauldron.

She glanced back at Draco but his back was to her as he sorted through his potions ingredients. Hermione turned back and unfolded the bird.

_This paper is bewitched so whatever you write on it will appear on my copy. _

Hermione smiled, surprised once again by the number of things that magic could do. She slipped out her quill and wrote, _How did you do this? _

She put in one too many beetle eyes as she tried to watch the note for a response. Hermione hissed with frustration and pushed onward, forcing herself to concentrate. She wasn't the type of girl who let a _boy_ distract her from her schoolwork and she wasn't about to start that now. It didn't matter that Draco wasn't an ordinary boy, that he made her skin warm and her heart race simply by being in the same room.

It wasn't until she was stirring the potion that she allowed herself to glance back at the parchment. _Magic. I'll teach you later, if you want. _

Hermione's stomach shivered at the word _later. _For the first time she despised her position as Head Girl for keeping her from meeting him that night. _You're distracting me. Trying to be first in the class? _

_You find me distracting? _

Hermione chuckled, feeling snubbed as she glanced at her mostly ignored potion. _Shut up. I'll write you after class. _

She folded up the parchment and stuffed it into her pocket. Despite her promise to herself to focus on her potion, she couldn't stop listening for the sounds of Draco's movement behind her. She finished the instructions with only a few minutes to spare and headed out of class when Slughorn waved for them to go.

_I talked to Ernie about doubling patrols. He's agreed. _Hermione wrote once she was settled into her seat at the Gryffindor table.

"What do you have there, Hermione?" Ginny asked as she settled down next to her.

Hermione hurried to fold the parchment back up and stuff it away. "Just some notes for Potions that I wanted to write down before I forget."

"Okay." Ginny shrugged and Hermione wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved at the speed of her acceptance. "How have you been doing? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

"I'm great." Hermione forced a smile onto her face. Words pushed their way out of her heart and lumped in her throat. She wanted to tell Ginny about Draco, about how he made her feel something that Ron never had, about the orchids she hid in her trunk and the kiss at the ball. Instead she continued, "I've been really busy with patrols and homework."

"Don't work yourself too hard." Ginny smiled and turned to Harry as he sat down. Hermione took advantage of the opportunity to check for a message from Draco while Ginny's attention was turned away from her.

_Stay safe out there tonight. _

Hermione waited until she was safely in class where jotting notes would go unnoticed before she answered, _I'll be careful. _

After a long afternoon of Ancient Runes and a quiet dinner, Hermione headed out on patrol. She wandered the halls, answering questions for first-years and threatening Peeves with the Bloody Baron when she caught him turning all the paintings on the third floor upside down.

Hermione was about ready to take a break and check for a message from Draco when she heard a furious scream echoing down the halls. She pulled out her wand and stepped carefully around the corner.

The scream sounded again, more pained than angry this time. There was a bang, followed by running footsteps in the other direction. Hermione hurried forward, turning another corner to see Draco slumped against the wall.

Her heart pounded in her ears as she dropped to his side. She pressed her fingers to his throat, feeling the thrum of his pulse.

"Draco?" she said.

He groaned and swallowed hard. Bruises bloomed on his face and a trail of blood ran down his chin from a split lip.

"I'm going to get Madame Pomfrey." She readied her wand to send her a Patronus when Draco grabbed her wand hand.

"No," he croaked, trying to stir.

Hermione held him down with a gentle hand on his chest. "Draco, you're hurt. Someone needs to look at you."

"I'm fine." His voice was a little stronger this time. "Please, just get me to the Room of Requirement. There will be stuff there we can use."

Hermione sighed with surrender and shifted so he could put his arm over her shoulders. She helped him up, her heart constricting with pain as he struggled to convince his right leg to support his weight. The trek down to the Room was a long one, Draco limping along with Hermione's support.

They made it without interruption and finally Hermione helped him through the door. The Room had formed itself into a cross between a hospital room and a bedroom. There was a twin poster bed along the wall and medical equipment lining the shelves.

Hermione helped him to the bed and he stretched out on his back with a pained sigh. "Draco, who did this to you?" she asked.

Draco's face screwed up as touched the bruises spread across his cheekbones. "I…I don't remember."


	19. Chapter 19

_Draco's face screwed up as touched the bruises spread across his cheekbones. "I…I don't remember."_

"What do you remember?" Hermione asked as she started to riffle through the cabinets. There was cream for bruises, antiseptic, and bandages among the various supplies. She brought it over to the bed and set it all down. Draco's face was wrinkled with concentration. He looked so vulnerable with the darkening bruises on his pale skin.

Hermione's heart hurt with sympathy. She spread the bruise cream out on her fingers and smoothed it onto Draco's face. Her muscles were tensed with suppressed desire to hunt down whoever did this to him, but her touch was careful and gentle.

"I remember walking toward the library and…and they jumped me. There were three of them," Draco said. He closed his eyes and tried not to flinch as Hermione kept treating his bruises.

"Do you remember what House they were in?" The bruises were starting to fade, with only the yellowed bruise on his cheekbone left behind.

"No idea," Draco said, forehead creased with frustration, before Hermione wiped away the blood from his lip. It was starting to heal on its own already, but she dabbed some cream on it for good measure.

She got up to search the cabinets for anything that might jog his memory, but either the Room wasn't helping, or it didn't exist. Hermione turned back to the bed and froze.

Draco was laying back, his light hair spread across the pillows. His eyes were closed and his mouth relaxed. In that moment, he looked more like an angel than anything else. She couldn't resist stepping across the bed and leaning over to kiss him.

Hermione brushed her lips over his, no softer than a whisper, and he responded by reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ears.

"Maybe you should be the Healer," Draco whispered. "Your bedside manner is fantastic."

Hermione chuckled as she stretched out on her side next to him. "I think I'll leave that to you. I'm going to go fight the bad guys."

"Hermione Granger, off to save the world." Draco twined his arms around her and pulled her close. She rested her hand on his cheek, running her fingertips over the bruise, and kissed him softly.

When Hermione pulled away, she curled up and rested her head on Draco's chest. She closed her eyes as she absorbed his warmth, just wanting to enjoy the moment. Before she knew it, she'd drifted off to sleep.

When Hermione woke the next morning, Draco was gone and the bed felt cold, but she didn't have time for disappointment. Her heart pounded as she flailed out of bed. The clock on the wall said that she could just make breakfast if she ran to change.

She snuck into the Gryffindor tower, hoping that Harry and Ginny would already have gone down. The common room seemed to be empty…until Ginny climbed out of an armchair, hands on her hips, and glared at her.

"Where have you been all night?" Ginny asked. "I've been worried that something happened while you were out on patrol."

Hermione forced herself not to cower, reminded instantly of an angry Mrs. Weasley, as she fought down a wave of guilt. "I was studying and lost track of time. Fell asleep in the library."

"Funny." Ginny grabbed a familiar old piece of parchment out of the chair. "Because I checked the map and I couldn't find you in the library. In fact, I couldn't find you _anywhere." _

"I wanted some peace and quiet so I found an alcove somewhere. You probably just missed me." Hermione shrugged. Her throat burned with the lies, but she couldn't handle the idea of Ginny looking at her with disgust if she found out about Draco.

Ginny's eyes flashed. "You can trust me, Hermione."

"I know." Hermione tried to smile. "That's all there is. I promise." She walked around Ginny and up the stairs, expecting the younger girl to follow behind. She didn't.

When Hermione came back down, Ginny was gone. She wasn't at breakfast either. When Hermione glanced questioningly at her empty seat next to Harry he just shrugged and said, "She said she needed to take care of a few things before class."

Hermione ate as quickly as she could before heading to class, pulling the two-way parchment out of her bag as she went to check for a message from Draco.

Nothing. She couldn't ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment at the blank page, quickly eclipsed by worry. Someone had attacked Draco last night. What if they'd found him to finish the job?

She spent the entire walk to class trying to think of something to say. She finally settled on _I missed you this morning. _

She didn't have to wait long for a reply. _I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you tonight. _The words sent a shiver down Hermione's spine.

Her hand trembled a bit as she replied, _See you soon. _

Hermione tried not to run as she took a complicated path down to the Room of Requirement. She knew that Draco was okay, but she also knew that she wouldn't really believe it until she saw him for herself.

The Room of Requirement had returned to its comfy den state with the bookshelves and fireplace and single couch. Draco was crouched over a book at the corner of the loveseat. He looked up when she walked in and smiled, tossing the book aside.

"You look better," Hermione said. Her heart floated as she made her way across the room and settled down next to him. There was only a faint trace of one of the bruises and his split lip had completely healed.

"Still don't remember who attacked me." His voice dropped to a growl in frustration. He reached over and pulled her back so she was leaning against his chest. His fingers ran through her hair, working out tangles with a gentleness that she never would have believed possible.

Hermione didn't know what to say, so she just let out a soft sigh and relaxed back into him. After quite some time, she finally spoke, "Ginny caught me sneaking back into Gryffindor tower."

His voice was soft and the twitch of his fingers in her hair betrayed his hesitation. "What happened?"

"I had to lie to her." Hermione drew tiny circles on the back of Draco's hand with her fingertips. "Told her that I fell asleep studying."

Draco kissed her hair. "I'm sorry."

"I just wish…I wish that I could tell her the truth." Hermione felt him tense beneath her. "I won't, because I know I can't, but I wish I could."

Draco reached out and turned her over in his arms. He kissed her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks, and finally her lips. "I wish I could walk out of this room holding your hand and tell this whole school you're mine."

Hermione's spine tingled as she pictured it. She wanted that too, more than anything. She wanted to be able to meet somewhere that didn't have to be secret. She wanted to hold hands and go on dates and eat breakfast together. She wanted to do things that normal couples did, without having to worry about lying or getting caught. She wanted it all, so much that it hurt.

That wish was forefront in Hermione's mind when Potions class rolled around again on Monday. She worried that if she had to spend one more moment avoiding looking Draco's way she might actually explode. It didn't help matters when, as she walked through the classroom, Draco turned to wink at her. Hermione dropped her gaze automatically, but couldn't suppress a smile.

"We're going to be working in pairs today," Professor Slughorn announced. "Let's see…I think Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom. Ms. Granger, let's pair you with…" Hermione held her breath, dread curling in her stomach. "…Mr. Malfoy."

Hermione's heart skipped a beat as she looked back at Draco, his expression equally shocked. She turned back to the front and scowled at her cauldron, mind racing. They could do this, right? Pretend that they hated each other and get the work done. They'd had years of practice at it.

"Is there a problem, Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy?" Slughorn asked once everyone had been paired off but neither of them had made a move.

"No problem at all, Professor." Draco's voice was oily smooth and Hermione heard him gathering up his stuff to move over to her cauldron. She frowned at him, but he ignored her even as he set up his potions ingredients at her table.

Once everyone was distracted by their own potions, Hermione pulled out a slip of parchment and a quill. _I can't believe this. _

_Relax. Pretend you hate me. _

Hermione looked up to see him towering above her, that familiar arrogant expression stretched across his face like a mask. Only his eyes told a different story. "I guess we should get started," she said.

"I guess so." Draco's voice was cool. "Why don't you start on the aconite?"

"Fine." Hermione pulled out the bundle of leaves and started toward the sink to wash them. By the time she was through, they were probably clean enough to eat off of. She stared at the running water, trying to collect her thoughts into a manageable pattern. Her and Draco. Working together. She'd dreamed of it, but never quite like this.

The slightest hint of a smile that he gave her when she returned didn't help matters. The longing to grab him by the collar and pull him in for a kiss was so strong that she clenched her fists around the aconite until the leaves were almost too mashed to use.

"Hermione," Draco whispered as she leaned over to drop them in, "we're just partners on a potion. Focus."

Hermione nodded, the fog clearing from her head. A potion. Just partners. She could do that. Once her heart stopped racing, she marveled at how well they worked together. Hermione and Draco moved like they were dancing, adding ingredients and stirring and adjusting the heat under the cauldron.

"Did you add the porcupine quills?" Hermione asked, scowling into the cauldron even though it was the perfect shade of navy blue.

"Of course," Malfoy snarled back, running his finger down the list of instructions in his book. "Maybe you forgot the lacewing flies."

"You _saw _me put them in. How many quills did you add?" She resisted the urge to stir the cauldron, just to have something to do with her hands. Draco's were right there by his side, so close that she would barely have to move to reach out and grab one.

"Six. Just like the instructions said. You really don't think I can handle this, do you? Do I need to remind you that I'm the best Potions student in my House?"

Hermione smirked back into his face. "Do I need to remind you that I'm the best in our year?"

A fiery look flashed in his eyes. Longing. His eyes slipped down to her lips for the barest second before looking away. "The potion is fine," he growled, his voice a little softer than before. "Let's just get this over with."

At the end of class, Slughorn walked around the classroom to peer at their progress. He gave Hermione and Draco's potion an approving nod before moving on.

"Not bad, Malfoy," Hermione snarled at him, a little louder than perfectly necessary.

"Same to you, Mu—" A look of disgust crossed his face as he tried to spit out the word. "Granger."

Hermione glanced around to make sure no one was looking their way, but they were a little more distracted by the melted remains of Crabbe and Goyle's cauldron.

"Tonight?" she asked.

"See you then."

Hermione smiled as she focused back on Crabbe and Goyle. She chuckled along with her classmates, until Crabbe's knuckles caught her attention. His meaty hand was bruised and scabbed. Like it was still healing from impacting something as hard as bone. Hermione glanced at Draco, but he seemed to be too busy packing up to have noticed. She opened her mouth to tell him, but couldn't think of a way without drawing attention. It would have to wait until they were alone.


	20. Chapter 20

_Hermione smiled as she focused back on Crabbe and Goyle. She chuckled along with her classmates, until Crabbe's knuckles caught her attention. His meaty hand was bruised and scabbed. Like it was still healing from impacting something as hard as bone. Hermione glanced at Draco, but he seemed to be too busy packing up to have noticed. She opened her mouth to tell him, but couldn't think of a way without drawing attention. It would have to wait until they were alone._

Hermione spent the rest of the day absorbed in an argument with herself as to what to do with her realization. She could go to McGonagall with her suspicions, but she wasn't sure if Draco would thank her for that. But what would he do if he found out the identities of his attackers? Would he want to do the right thing and report them, or would he want to go after them on his own?

Not that she could really blame him if he did, but she also knew that, with his history, this could be the last straw. The idea of him locked up in Azkaban—even without the dementors—made her shudder.

She didn't come to a decision until she walked through the door of the Room that evening and saw Draco sitting on the couch smoothing more bruise cream onto his face.

She had to tell him.

"Draco," she said as she walked across the room and joined him on the couch, "I think I know who attacked you."

His eyes darkened as he slowly set down the jar of cream. "How do you know?"

"Someone in our Potions class had injured knuckles." She moved a little closer and put her hand on his arm. "It was Crabbe."

Draco's eyes flashed but he didn't look in the least bit surprised. "I should have known."

"I think we need to tell McGona—"

Draco cut her off hard. "No." His fingers clenched into fists in his lap as he pulled away from Hermione's touch. "Don't tell anyone. Please." His voice softened on the last word, making it sound more like a plea and less like an order.

"But they could hurt you again. Or someone else." Hermione tried to keep her voice low and gentle, rather than the frustrated growl that threatened to come out. "We have to stop them."

"We will. Just let me handle it. I'll be fine, I promise."

Hermione sighed, her stomach churning with worry. She was Head Girl, it was her responsibility to stop this kind of thing and now here she was about to agree to just let it slide. She licked her lips, mind racing.

"Hermione." Draco leaned over and placed a quick, chaste kiss on her lips. "Everything will be fine. I can handle myself."

"But it's my _job_ to put a stop to this." A part of her wanted to run to McGonagall immediately and tell her everything, while another part of her wanted to hunt Crabbe and Goyle down herself and curse them into oblivion for raising a hand against Draco.

"You may be Head Girl, but this is about me." He pushed the hair back out of her eyes. "I'm asking you to please, just this once, let it go."

Hermione broke when he fixed those silver eyes on her. "Okay. But if anything else happens you have to tell someone."

"Deal." Draco kissed her again. "I can't believe Slughorn made us partners today."

"I know. I hope it doesn't last too long. I don't know how much longer I can resist not being able to do this." Hermione leaned over for a deep kiss and braced her arms on the couch behind him.

The next day, once classes finally ended, Hermione pulled out the parchment from Draco and jotted down a quick message, _Tonight as usual? _

He didn't respond. Hermione went down to the Room, only to find it empty. Library next, also empty. She sighed as she settled into their usual table and tried to focus on studying. She kept the parchment in front of her, just inside her field of vision, just in case.

Finally, Draco's familiar handwriting started to scrawl across it. _Not tonight. I have something that I need to take care of. _

Hermione's heart leapt into high gear. _Is this about Crabbe? _

_Don't worry. _

It did nothing to soothe Hermione's fluttering nerves. She tried to force her attention back to studying, but her mind kept going back to the image of Draco crumpled on the floor. If only there was a way to find him quickly, just to make sure he was okay… She packed up her stuff and took the quickest route to Gryffindor tower that she could think of.

Harry and Ginny were sitting by the fire, in opposite chairs with a table covered with books and parchment between them. Hermione couldn't remember a time when she'd ever seen Harry so deeply absorbed in homework.

"Harry," Hermione said as she stopped next to his chair, "can I borrow the map?"

Harry looked up, his eyes glazed from staring at books for most of the afternoon. "What do you need it for?"

"Just…Head Girl business."

Harry sighed and clambered out of his chair. "I'll bring it down. Be right back, Ginny."

He dashed away up the stairs, leaving Hermione to lean awkwardly against his now-empty chair and fight to think of something to say to Ginny.

"What's going on, Hermione?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide with concern. She had her wand halfway out of her pocket and looked to be about to stand up.

"Nothing." Hermione forced a calming smile onto her face. "A second-year is worried about one of her friends. Hasn't seen her all afternoon. I'm just going to check and make sure everything's okay."

Hermione was saved from any more awkward conversation when Harry came down the staircase, the aged parchment in his hands. He handed it to her before climbing back into his chair.

"Thanks. I'll just…I'll be right back." She hurried out of the portrait hole and found a hiding place behind a tapestry where she could use the map in peace.

"_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,_" she said, remembering a time when she'd tried to convince Harry to give up the map to McGonagall. How much things had changed since those days.

The map spiraled across the page and she started scanning the masses of black dots searching for a familiar name. Nothing in the Slytherin common room or the dungeons or the library. She spotted Crabbe and Goyle hanging out in a passage on the fourth flour, but they appeared to be alone.

_Draco Malfoy. _There he was, lurking just down the hall from Crabbe and Goyle, moving slowly in their direction.

"_Mischief managed,_" Hermione whispered to the map and shoved it into her pockets. She didn't even give herself time to think about what she would say when she found him before heading off toward the fourth floor. She felt scared and a little betrayed as she hurried as fast as she could without running down the halls.

She caught him lurking just around the corner from Crabbe and Goyle. He didn't see her until she'd rounded the corner and it was too late for him to move.

"Hermione." She searched his face, but it was smooth and expressionless. "What are you doing here?"

Hermione shifted, wanting to run away in embarrassment. "Second-year is worried about a friend of hers. I promised to keep an eye out."

Draco glanced up and down the empty hall. "Sure you didn't come to make sure I didn't do anything stupid?" His arms crossed defensively over his chest as he stared down at her.

"That's not—" Hermione could feel her face burning. After all this time, she still couldn't trust Draco not to take an "eye for an eye" approach. Not that she really blamed him, but this wasn't the time. Not with his past and not with the paranoia over Death Eaters still hanging over everyone like a thick fog.

"Hermione, you know that Crabbe attacked me. I can figure that Goyle helped. But I remember _three_ people. Not two." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, making it stick up.

"So who is the third?" Hermione couldn't stop herself from reaching up and smoothing down his hair.

"That's what I'm trying to find out." Draco smiled down at her. "Revenge isn't in the game plan."

Hermione heard the unspoken _yet_ but there was nothing she could say that would make any difference. Not as far as she could see. She nodded and said, "Okay. I…I'm going to go keep looking for the little girl."

Draco nodded and leaned down to brush his lips over hers. "Good luck. I hope she's okay."

"Wh—" Hermione gave herself a mental shake. "I hope so too." She slipped away, turning around to see Draco pressed against the wall and eavesdropping on his old friends before she turned the corner.

As the days passed, Hermione gave Crabbe and Goyle a cursory glance over every time she saw them in class or the halls. They seemed to be fine, which at least told her that Draco hadn't killed them.

She spent her evenings when she wasn't on patrol in Draco's arms in the Room of Requirement, but they never talked about the attack. Draco didn't seem willing to bring it up and Hermione didn't want to pry, not when everything seemed to be going okay.

Hermione was on patrol walking past the Great Hall when she felt something burn in her pocket. She pulled out the gold coin that she'd adapted for the prefects to use to communicate going off the design that she'd used for Dumbledore's Army.

The code along the edges indicated that there was some kind of disturbance on the fourth floor. Heart pounding, Hermione turned and took a passage up to the third and then the stairs the rest of the way up. A nervous prefect stood on the landing, the color coming back into her face when she spotted Hermione.

"Ernie's in there," she squeaked. "He says to send you in right away. It's an emergency."

Hermione paused just long enough to thank her and then pulled out her wand, moving cautiously into the hall and following a loud banging sound. She turned a corner and found Ernie huddled against the wall.

"What's going on?" she whispered.

"Malfoy and his cronies," Ernie whispered back. "It seems like they've fallen out."

Hermione felt like she would be sick. She nodded and waved for him to stay, working her way around the corner and into an empty classroom. Goyle lay sprawled across the floor, unconscious but seemingly unharmed. Crabbe stood with his back pressed against the chalkboard, dueling with Draco. Her Slytherin stood on a desk, firing curses indiscriminately. The effect was frightening, enhanced by the smoke coming off of his robes.

"Stop!" Hermione shouted.

Draco startled, turning with the words of a curse on his lips, and froze. The distraction allowed Crabbe to shoot a curse into his chest. Draco fell from the desk and landed unmoving on the ground.

Fury rushed up Hermione's insides like fire. Everything had been fine between her and Draco until now. He'd changed. He'd loved her. He'd been training to be a Healer. And now, because of these two, everything was falling apart again.

"_Stupefy_," she hissed, pointing her wand directly at Crabbe's chest. Still high on his triumph, he didn't have time to block. The curse knocked him back and he slid to the floor with a heavy thud.

"It's safe," Hermione shouted back to Ernie and hurried to Draco's side. "Please be okay. Please be okay. _Enervate." _

Draco's eyes opened and then he clenched them shut again, groaning with pain. Blood soaked the floor underneath him where he'd hit his head. Hermione heard Ernie scuffling behind her as he went to check over Crabbe and Goyle.

"Prefect!" Hermione yelled.

"Yes, miss?" The girl poked her head into the room, eyes flitting over the three bodies on the floor.

"Go get Headmistress McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey," she ordered. "Tell them it's an emergency."

When the girl was gone, Hermione turned back to Draco. She used her body to block her actions from Ernie's gaze, and then ran her fingers through Draco's hair. "Stay awake," she whispered. "You have to stay awake."

Draco caught her wrist. "I'm so sorry. I know I promised. But…I had to find out who the third was. Things went too far."

Hermione let out an exhausted sigh. She didn't know what to say anymore. She felt raw and betrayed. Betrayed that Draco didn't think he could trust her with any of this. "And did you find out who it was?"

Draco nodded and swallowed hard. He opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when Ernie appeared at Hermione's shoulder.

"They should be fine," Ernie reported. "It looks like they're both just knocked out."

Hermione realized she was crouched next to Draco with his hand wrapped around her wrist. She reached down and ripped free a handful of his robes, using them to put pressure on the bleeding wound at the back of his head. "Malfoy needs Madame Pomfrey," she said. "He's lost a lot of blood, but I think he will be okay."

"I'm right here, you know," Draco said, his voice worryingly weak. "I'm fine."

"I'll be the judge of that, Mr. Malfoy," Madame Pomfrey said as she stormed through the door, taking in the scene with wide eyes. She kneeled down next to Draco and Hermione backed herself away, leaning against the wall as her knees went weak.

She looked toward Crabbe and Goyle, wondering what would have happened if she hadn't shown up when she did. The thought made her dizzy and she sat down at one of the empty desks.

She knew that Draco had changed a lot, but in the moments before he'd been knocked off the desk she could see the Malfoy they had always known: cold, brutal, wild. When he'd turned his wand on her, for a second she'd been sure that he would curse her. How did she know that she could trust him to ever truly change, even for her?


	21. Chapter 21

_She knew that Draco had changed a lot, but in the moments before he'd been knocked off the desk she could see the Malfoy they had always known: cold, brutal, wild. When he'd turned his wand on her, for a second she'd been sure that he would curse her. How did she know that she could trust him to ever truly change, even for her?_

Hermione spent the rest of the night tossing and turning in her bed. Multiple times she threw off the covers and started to get out of bed, thinking of going down to visit Draco. Every time she got a little bit closer to leaving the dorm, but every time she talked herself out of it and ended up back in bed. She wanted to see him, if only to make sure he was okay and to ask him who the third man was. The only problem was she didn't know what she would say to him. Didn't know what she would do if he reached out for a kiss.

She wasn't ready to deal with any of this. Hermione closed her eyes and tried to force herself to sleep. When that didn't work, she ran through everything Draco had done and had said, but it didn't make a difference. She didn't know what to think anymore. She wished that she could believe that Draco had changed over the last few months, but the truth was she had no idea what was going on inside his head.

It was well after midnight before the adrenaline ran out and Hermione drifted off into nightmares of her and Draco cornered by masked Death Eaters.

Hermione wavered through most of the morning on whether or not she should go down to the hospital wing to visit Draco. That was an innocuous thing for a Head Girl to do, right? Draco had looked pretty banged up when she'd found him. It was only natural for her to want to check and make sure he was okay.

Right?

She held out until after lunch before she couldn't take it any longer. She had to see him, had to make sure he was okay. Hermione hurried down to the hospital wing and peeked through the door. Madame Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen. The curtains were drawn around three of the beds. Hermione hesitated again, fear striking her heart. She'd never been very good at those guessing games at carnivals, never been quite able to figure out the trick of it.

She stood in the middle of the wing and closed her eyes to listen. It wasn't a guessing game; this was a mystery.

Just when she was about to turn back and leave again, Hermione heard a cough followed by a sigh. Bed springs creaked as someone shifted in their bed. It was Draco, it had to be. Without giving herself a chance to second guess herself, Hermione pushed her way through the curtains and breathed a sigh of relief.

Draco was sitting up on the bed, flipping through his Potions book with a frustrated expression. There was a bandage wrapped around his head and a bruise blooming on his collarbone, but he looked none the worse for wear. Hesitation that she hadn't felt in weeks welled up inside of her. She thought quickly of trying to slip back out of the curtains, but it was too late. Draco looked up, a soft smile raising the corners of his mouth when his gaze fell on her.

"If you think I'm bad, you should see the other guy," he said, putting the book aside and sliding over in the bed to make room for her to sit.

Hermione didn't laugh and took the chair next to his bed instead. She twisted her hands in her lap, staring at them to keep her gaze off Draco. She wasn't sure what she was more afraid of seeing on his face: hurt or acceptance of her distance. Now that she was here she didn't know what to say.

"Hey." Draco reached out and touched her shoulder, the only part of her that he could reach from the bed. "I'm sorry."

Hermione looked up and immediately regretted it. His gaze held her hypnotized, his silver eyes soft and worried. Her heart melted like chocolate on a hot day. She wanted to believe him, wanted to think that this meant she could trust him not to lose control again. But he was a Malfoy, an ex-Death Eater, and that would change a person. His expression made her want to trust him. His forehead was crinkled as his eyes pleaded with her to understand. Like he was trying to convey all of his remorse and desire to never let it happen again with just a look.

"Do you promise?" Hermione whispered, wanting to kick herself for the way her voice cracked the tiniest bit.

He nodded, slow and firm. Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She pushed herself out of the chair and sat down on the bed next to him, letting him put his arm over her shoulders and tug her a little closer. "Theo Engman," he murmured into her hair.

"What?"

"That was the other guy that attacked me. His name is Theo Engman." His voice dropped into a quiet growl, low enough that anyone in the hospital wing, especially Crabbe and Goyle, wouldn't be able to hear. "He graduated two years before we did and joined the Death Eaters straight out of Hogwarts."

Hermione digested this information with a churning stomach. "How'd he stay out of Azkaban?"

"Information maybe?" Draco shrugged. "I'm not sure. I never really paid much attention to him, to be honest. I don't even know if he ever met Voldemort directly. He certainly wasn't in the inner circle." His voice was flat, with an undertone of bitterness as he practically spit out the words.

_Not like me, _Hermione heard the unspoken words and they made her want to turn her head and bury it in Draco's collarbone. She wished that this was all over, that she could get on with her life and Harry could get on with his and all of the broken families could make an attempt at closure. "If he's already out of Hogwarts, what was he doing here? There's no way anyone could get in, not with the new security…"

"I don't know. I'm positive it was him, though." Draco leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Hermione took advantage of the moment to take him in, his even paler than normal skin, the bandage stark against his forehead, and the bruises dark purple.

Panic raced through Hermione's veins. She had to go tell McGonagall and she had to do it right now. It didn't matter what Draco thought about it, this was a matter of school security and it had to be addressed. Hermione slipped out from under Draco's touch.

"Where are you going?" Draco slurred, hands reaching out for her awkwardly in his exhaustion. He didn't even open his eyes and Hermione wondered if he was even awake.

"I have to tell McGonagall," she replied. "It was one thing when I thought it might just be another student but this…a loyal Death Eater…" She was just rambling now but she knew that he had to understand.

Draco's eyes opened slowly, but he nodded in acceptance. "I know you have to tell her. Will I see you later? Assuming Pomfrey lets me out of this prison."

Hermione chuckled. "I…McGonagall has me on patrol tonight." The lies dripped off her tongue before she could even think about why she wanted to lie to him. "I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"Okay." His eyes slipped closed again. "See you, Hermione."

She felt the same little thrill that she always did when he said her name. "See you, Draco."

"Are you suggesting there is a Death Eater in the castle?" McGonagall asked, surveying Hermione over her glasses. She'd knocked over an ink well when Hermione explained about Theo, but she didn't seem to notice the ink soaking through the parchment in front of her.

"I don't want to believe that there is, but we have to be aware that it is possible," Hermione replied. Her hands were clasped in her lap, fidgeting as she sat in the chair. She didn't want to be sitting in this office, she wanted to be out there finding Theo and then figuring out how he'd gotten into the castle so she could make sure no one else followed his lead. The whole thing made her feel sick, remembering Draco and the Vanishing Cabinet. It was surreal in its familiarity, but this time she knew that they had a real chance to stop it. And this time, Draco was on their side.

"I'll warn all the professors and get everyone to keep an eye out. If he's still in the castle, then he has to be staying somewhere. I don't want to cause panic if I don't have to. With all these attacks…well, everyone's nerves are on edge." McGonagall shifted organized stacks of parchment around her desk.

"Do you think he might be involved in the attacks?" The question made Hermione's stomach drop. She didn't want to think about what he might have in store for Draco if he was.

"I wouldn't want to make assumptions." McGonagall's words were formal and firm, but her expression betrayed her belief that Hermione might be right. "I'm going to pay Mr. Malfoy a visit. I suggest you return to your common room for the night."

Hermione nodded, recognizing a dismissal if she ever saw one. She wished that she could ask to go with McGonagall when she went to talk to Draco, but it wasn't appropriate. So instead she obeyed McGonagall's suggestion and headed back to the common room.

Ginny looked surprised when she settled into her old chair and scattered her Defense Against the Dark Arts homework across a nearby table. Harry just looked up and said, "Hey, Hermione" before returning his attention to his own work.

"Hey, guys," Hermione replied with a smile. The silence was familiar and comfortable as she settled into it with her friends. The fireplace crackled with flames next to them, throwing off comforting heat. Their fellow Gryffindors surrounded them, filling the room with a steady drone of chatter. Hermione let out a soft sigh and relaxed into her chair. Her eyelids started to drift closed but she forced them open and kept her attention on her work.

"Everything okay, Hermione?" Ginny asked, breaking the silence for the first time.

Hermione looked up, blinking with disorientation from being dragged forcefully away from her essay. "Yeah…why?"

"It's just, you haven't been spending much time studying with us lately. The library isn't closed or anything, is it?" Ginny's face was open, a smile brightening her features. Her broomstick sat across her lap as she polished the handle.

Hermione felt a little strange as she said, "Everything's fine." The feeling of comfort disappeared with the realization that she'd spent so much time away from her friends that they now found it odd when she spent any _with_ them. "I just had a night off patrol and I wanted to study at home for once."

"I'm glad. I've missed you." Ginny shot her a quick smile before she bent back over her broom.

Hermione smiled hesitantly as she looked back at her homework. Unfortunately, the interruption had completely shattered her focus. She kept flashing back to McGonagall and Draco, wondering how their talk had gone, wondering what Draco thought about her telling the Headmistress, wondering what she would do when she saw him again. Her heart longed for that moment even as it pounded with anxiety. At the very least, she would see him in class tomorrow, assuming Madame Pomfrey let him go.

She gave up on her homework and just curled up in the chair with her eyes closed. How could she feel so uncomfortable here, in the home that she'd known for the last seven years of her life and so comfortable with the man she'd always hated?

Her eyes flashed open as she thought of the parchment he'd given her. She shuffled through all of her work until she found it. There was a new note at the top in a cramped, rough version of Draco's handwriting: _I told McGonagall everything. Should have listened to you from the start. Turns out I bit off more than I can chew. What else is new? _

Hermione's mouth twitched with the temptation to smile even as she ached with the disguised pain that she knew would be in Draco's voice if they were face-to-face. _McGonagall will take care of everything. We'll find Theo. See you in class tomorrow? _

She didn't think he would reply—it was late after all—but almost immediately ink began to appear across the parchment like an invisible quill was skating across it. _Warden says that I should be able to make class tomorrow, if I don't push it. Would be better to see you outside of class, though. _

Hermione glanced up at Ginny and Harry as she tried not to blush, but they were oblivious. _Meet me tomorrow. Same time, same place. _She tingled with excitement and nerves as she folded up the parchment and stuffed it into her robes, before saying "Good night" and heading for the constant familiarity of her bed.


	22. Chapter 22

_Hermione glanced up at Ginny and Harry as she tried not to blush, but they were oblivious. _Meet me tomorrow. Same time, same place. _She tingled with excitement and nerves as she folded up the parchment and stuffed it into her robes, before saying "Good night" and heading for the constant familiarity of her bed._

Hermione arrived at Potions abnormally early the next day. Only a few of her classmates were there, hunching over their cauldrons and flipping through their books. Hermione settled down in front of her own cauldron, refusing to let herself turn around every time she heard someone step through the door. She'd finally managed to stop twitching when someone appeared at her shoulder.

"Granger," Draco said coldly.

"Malfoy." Hermione tensed her muscles, forcing them to stay still. She didn't think she could control herself if she even looked at Draco right now. She could see him out of the corner of her eye, a sliver of his composed face, messy blond hair, and sleek robes.

Slughorn wandered into the room from the back, preventing them from having to worry about making any more awkward conversation. "Working in pairs again today," he announced, as they'd expected. "Same partners. Please follow the instructions to finish your potions from last week."

Hermione retrieved their potion from the back room, examining it to make sure it had turned the correct shade of neon green. She poured the potion into the cauldron and stirred it lazily. "What do we add first?" she asked.

"Why don't you tell me?" Draco snapped. Hermione glanced over to see him sitting in his chair, feet propped up on the desk. He smirked at her and the twist in his face made her want to climb into his lap and kiss that expression away. Instead, she pushed his feet off the desk and glared at him.

"Because we're partners. Now, what do we add first?" She hissed the words through her teeth, punctuating the question with a wink. If that was the game he wanted to play, then she was ready to play ball.

"Three snake fangs…" Hermione sighed and dropped them in, watching as they dissolved in the thick liquid. "Or was it four…" Draco trailed off.

Hermione tossed her book into his lap. "Check."

He flipped through the book painstakingly, one page a time with his tongue between his teeth. "Three snake fangs."

"Thank you." Hermione turned away when she couldn't look at him anymore. Her body was humming like an electrified wire and she had no idea how she was going to make it through this class and her next one before she could meet up with him alone. "Next?"

"Add one starthistle and an eagle owl feather. Stir three times clockwise. Raise heat. Then—"

"One second," Hermione cut off, her mind struggling to remember the instructions. She added the starthistle and turned to grab the feather, but Draco was standing there. The breath rushed out of her lungs as she stopped, a hairs breadth from running straight into his chest.

"Don't worry." Draco's breath blew across her face as he spoke. "I'll get it." He turned his back to grab the feather and dropped it into the cauldron, giving Hermione a few seconds to collect herself and reach to stir it. When she was done, Draco stepped forward to build a fire underneath it.

"What now?" Hermione asked.

"Two sprigs of lavender. Let simmer for ten minutes." Draco took his seat again and Hermione could feel his gaze on her back as she dropped in the lavender. She watched as the potion gradually darkened to a forest green before sitting down.

Draco glanced around to make sure everyone was distracted by their own cauldrons before moving his chair a little closer to hers. "I want to kiss you so badly right now," he whispered.

Hermione licked her lips and his eyes flitted down to watch. Her mouth felt dry and her heart flashed and crackled like the flames at their side. She wanted to—wow, did she want to—but she knew that she couldn't risk it. "Tonight you can kiss me as much as you want," she replied.

Draco's pupils widened as his eyes darkened to the color of steel. He looked like he wanted to damn it all and just kiss her right then and there. Hermione let her hand slip over his wrist as she reached across his lap and took his book. When the time was up, she stood and waved the fire away with her wand.

"Why don't you finish it?" she asked.

Draco stood and snatched the jar of beetle wings out of her hands with an arrogant smile. "Watch and learn."

Hermione sat back and admired the way Draco's body moved and flexed underneath his robes as he dropped in a pair of the wings, set the fire again, and stirred the cauldron. His fingers slipped over the page with a whisper as he scanned the instructions and dropped in another sprig of lavender with one hand while stirring with the other. The effect was breath-taking. She'd always thought his Potions prowess was more due to Snape's favoritism than any ability on Draco's part, but now she was forced to reconsider.

Not one to be stood up, Hermione got to her feet and waited behind Draco until he went to reach for the final ingredient: lacewing flies. She snatched the jar away from him just as his fingers brushed the top of the jar.

"That's the last ingredient and then it needs time to simmer," Draco said, his voice harsh and low. He held out his hand expectantly but she backed away another step, her eyes glinting with mischief.

Hermione looked into his face, tense with the awareness that they were surrounded by fellow students, and all the enthusiasm went out of her. She hated this feeling of being watched all the time, of having to be on her guard and pretend that she still hated Draco. She handed him the jar and lit the fire as he dropped in the lacewing flies. "Looks right," she said as they peered into the bubbling cauldron.

"Excellent work, you two," Professor Slughorn boomed, causing them both to jump. "Let it simmer for five minutes and then you may go."

Hermione sat down and tried not to stare at the clock. She felt like she was vibrating with the awareness that Draco stood at her shoulder. When time was up and she was finally able to fetch a bottle and pour in some of the potion for grading, she was glad to have something to do with her hands. Hermione turned around when she was done, expecting to see Draco still tidying up but the work area was clean, the ingredients put away, and Draco nowhere to be seen.

Hermione's shoulders dropped with disappointment. She didn't know what she'd been expecting—they both needed to make lunch before their next class—but she'd hoped to at least catch a smile from Draco before they left. She walked out the door and immediately a pair of hands clamped down on her arm and tugged her around the corner. Her heart pounded with fear as she prepared to fight, but all the anger melted out of when she looked up into the face of her captor.

It was Draco, his eyes blazing hard and a smile teasing the corners of his mouth. "You're a tease," he whispered, breath blowing across her face.

Hermione's heart pounded again, with excitement this time. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Room?"

"Room."

They broke apart and Hermione leaned against the wall in the empty hallway until he'd disappeared. She waited until her knees stopped shaking before she pushed herself away and followed him. She almost couldn't get there fast enough.

The Room was smaller than normal this time but in a cozy sort of way. The shelves of books and the fireplace and the couch were all gone. A bed sat pressed against one wall, small tables with vases of red orchids to either side. It looked similar to the room that had appeared that night Draco was attacked, without all the medical supplies.

Draco sat perched at the end of the bed, braced back against his hands. His bangs hung down into his eyes as he smirked over at her. "I just asked for somewhere private to meet you," he said, sounding far less confident than he appeared. "We can leave and try again if you—"

Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She crossed the room in three strides and kissed him hard, cutting off whatever it was he'd been about to say. Draco kissed her back and the two of them fell onto the bed. Draco's hands slipped from her neck over her shoulders and down her back. He rested them on her waist and tugged her closer.

"Hermione," he whispered in her ear as he pulled away and placed a kiss just under her ear. The sound of her name on his lips sent a shiver down her spine that she knew she would never tire of.

"Draco." He stilled and unwound his arms from her body, pulling himself up so his head rested on the pillows. Hermione sat up and looked at him, his eyes sparkling back at hers. The smile faltered on his face and worry wormed its way into Hermione's thoughts. "What?" she asked.

"Why did it take us so long to start doing this?"

Images flashed through her mind: his expression of disgust as he called her _Mudblood,_ the feeling of triumph when she punched him, the mixed emotions when they realized that Harry was right about Draco being a Death Eater. "It just wasn't the right time. A different world then."

"That's one way of putting it." Draco looked ashamed as he reached out toward her with one hand. Hermione took it and let him pull her up into his arms. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes as his fingers carded through her hair.

"Do you think…if you hadn't been sorted into Slytherin…?" Hermione had often wondered what would have happened if Sorting Day had gone differently. She'd been so close to having a different life herself, almost being sorted into Ravenclaw.

"Maybe." His fingers in her hair became a little rougher. "There's no real point in wondering about it, though. You were sorted into Gryffndor. I was sorted into Slytherin. I joined the Death Eaters." He pulled one hand out of her hair and yanked up his sleeve, revealing the Dark Mark still tattooed onto his arm.

Hermione reached out to touch it—unable to tear her eyes away—but he snatched back his arm and covered it up again before she could get close.

"It's like a permanent sticking charm," he explained, his voice rough. "It's never going to come off."

Hermione didn't know what to say. It was one thing to remember that Draco was a Death Eater, to think of everything he'd done as being part of the past, but quite another to see it written out like that, a daily reminder.

"Kiss me," she whispered, and he did. It was soft and sweet and full of everything that they couldn't put into words. The regret for the past, the joy of the present, and the hope for the future.

"We missed lunch," Draco said, pulling away and breaking the magic. "And we're about to miss class…"

Hermione jolted away. She could deal with being hungry, but class wasn't something that she could just skip, not even for this. "I'll see you tonight, all right?" She kissed him quickly and tried not to watch him watching her straighten her robes as she got off the bed.

"See you tonight" was the last thing she heard before she stepped out the door.

Hermione devoured her roast beef at dinner, caught between being starving and wanting to meet Draco. She glanced over to the Slytherin table and spotted Draco alone at the other end. He leaned against his hand, picking at his own plate of roast beef. She felt lonely, watching him and wishing that they could be sitting at the same table.

She checked to make sure Ginny and Harry were distracted and slipped a familiar square of parchment out of her robes. _Smile, _she wrote, catching Draco's eyes and flicking the corner of the parchment to draw his eye to it. He pulled out his own parchment and when he looked back up again, a small smile matched hers.

_I wish we could eat dinner together, _Hermione wrote next. It hurt, watching Neville and Luna, and Harry and Ginny able to eat together and knowing that her and Draco couldn't even occupy the same _table. _

_I do, too, _Draco answered.

Hermione was about to suggest that they get out of there, when she felt something burning in her pocket. Her heart dropped as she pulled out her Head Girl coin. She wasn't supposed to be on patrol tonight, but if something happened…

It wasn't an emergency, but it wasn't good news either. A Ravenclaw prefect was sick and needed someone to cover her patrol. Hermione sighed and clicked the symbol to accept. When she looked up at Draco, he caught her eye and tilted his head with a questioning expression. _I'm going to have to take a rain check tonight, _she wrote. _Patrol. _

His eyes scanned her words before looking up. Hermione shrugged one shoulder and shook her head. "Sorry," she mouthed. Her shoulders dropped with disappointment. All she wanted was a nice quiet night in. One where she didn't have to worry about patrols and Death Eaters and her friends finding out about her relationship with Draco.

_It's all right,_ Draco wrote. _You're on patrol tomorrow too, aren't you? _

_Unfortunately. _

_Be safe. Make sure Peeves doesn't try to hang any of the first-years from a chandelier. Again. _

Hermione chuckled. Ginny looked over and asked, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." Hermione folded the parchment and stuffed it in her pocket. She stared at her plate and tried not to think about how she already missed being able to see Draco.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I apologize for the delay in this chapter. I had some life things that needed to be taken care of and a piece of original fiction ran away with me, but now I'm back.**

When Hermione left class on Wednesday afternoon, there was a message waiting for her on the parchment, a bright spot on an otherwise trying day. Ancient Runes had her covering a particularly difficult translation, along with a three-roll of parchment essay on the culture.

_Meet me in the Room in an hour. Don't worry about dinner._ Hermione smiled down at it and headed up to the common room to drop off her stuff. It would be the first night she would be able to see Draco since that afternoon in bed. Her heart fluttered from the very thought.

Hermione's nerves jangled as she stood outside of the Room. The door appeared on her approach and she tugged it open before she could second-guess herself.

The Room looked like a cross between a dining room and a little cafe. There was a round table in the center, set for two. The walls were paneled with rich dark wood and a thick red carpet covered the floor. Strings of lights circled the ceiling, providing the only light in the room along with a single candle on the table. It smelled like candle smoke and roast chicken and chocolate cake.

The set-up took her breath away, but it still didn't compare to the boy standing behind one of the two chairs.

Draco was wearing his dress robes and his hair was carefully arranged. He smiled tentatively at her. "You said that you wanted to have dinner together."

"This is amazing." Hermione spun around, taking it all in, and the door closed behind her. "You did all of this?"

Draco stepped carefully across the carpet and took her hand. "For you." He led her over to the table and pulled out her chair.

"Thank you," Hermione said as she took her seat. The food was already set out on the plates: roast chicken, seasoned redskin potatoes, and zucchini. The cake waited in the middle of the table. She poked at the food with her fork, but it seemed perfectly natural.

"It's from the house elves. In case you were wondering. A different elf from the one that usually comes down here. Wearing a Slytherin locket, very strange." Hermione cut off his rambling with a smile. Her heart felt like it was blowing up with joy. The perfect room, the perfect food, the perfect boy. This beat a dinner in the Great Hall anytime.

"Must have worked for a Slytherin family at some point." She shrugged and bit into the chicken, to hide the chuckle rising in her throat as she remembered Kreacher.

"Of course." The wrinkle in Draco's forehead smoothed out as his muscles relaxed. "Tell me something that I didn't know before. What's it like, having Muggle parents? I wondered when I was a kid but…it wasn't a thought I was encouraged to consider." He shuddered slightly.

Hermione slid her foot across the floor and bumped it up against his. "It's like living in two separate worlds. I mean, they know about the magic and they have an inkling about what goes on, but they don't really _know. _They don't know about the Death Eaters or Voldemort or the danger. They try to understand but they can't. To them it's like going to a technical school from eleven years old onward. I'm just learning how to better use an ability I was born with."

"What did they do? That year. If they didn't know about the War."

"I took their memories," Hermione said, her voice full of pain from the year that they'd lost. "I made them forget that I even existed, forget that they existed, and made them move to Australia. When the War was over I found them again. Gave the memories back. I don't know what they think happened, but they're safe and they've forgiven me."

Draco was silent, the only sounds in the room their breathing and the scrape of silverware against plates.

Hermione felt guilty for ruining the mood, for telling such a sad story on what felt like their first date. "I remember once when I was six, it was the first time I thought that there might be something different about me," she said. "My mom loves purple flowers, they're her favorite, and it was her birthday. All we had was a bush of red roses in the backyard. So I picked one and I transfigured it purple by accident."

Draco chuckled. "I turned an entire table into dust during a tantrum because my nanny wouldn't let me play with her wand."

"How old were you?" Hermione laughed, trying to picture a young Draco throwing a fit.

"Three." Draco chuckled again at the memory. "You should have seen the look on her face when she saw me standing there, covered in dust from the table."

Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she pictured a little blond toddler all covered in dust, wowed to silence by the result of his own power. She entered the mental picture, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth even as her eyes showed the punishment that was about to be brought down. Draco stood behind her, arm around her waist, and a look of pure pride on his face. The toddler turned to look up at them, and she realized he had her eyes.

"Hermione?" Draco's voice called her back.

She shook her head, pushing the images aside. "Sorry, I was just thinking." She smiled at him. "Trying to picture you. A toddler."

"Shocking, isn't it?" He winked at her. "My Hogwarts letter was a mere formality. We all knew that I would get in, though my father wanted me to go to Durmstrang. What did you do when you got yours?"

"When you're Muggle born, someone comes to your house and explains the whole thing to your parents," Hermione said. "I kept waiting for someone to tell me it was all an elaborate practical joke, or a dream, but no one did. I guess I'm still waiting."

"Does this feel like a dream?" Draco reached across the table and stroked the top of her hand with his fingers. The tingle that shot through her body felt very much real.

"No, it doesn't." She smiled. "At the same time, it felt right, though. Finally proof that I wasn't insane. That the things I'd done were real."

"Did you think you were insane?" Draco pushed away his clean plate and waited for her to pick up a fork to dig into the chocolate cake before he grabbed one of his own.

The cake melted in her mouth. It was dark and rich, and filled with raspberry filling. "Sometimes. That purple flower was only the beginning. I also transfigured my teddy bear to the size of a horse, transfigured a loop of wire into a necklace, and magically cleaned the garage." She felt rather proud of it all now but then she worried that she was going crazy and hallucinating it all. Even her parents seemed eager to sweep the occasional strange occurrence under the rug.

"I was surrounded by magic," Draco said. "Most of it was dark, but some of it was beautiful and it made me think that anything was possible."

It hurt Hermione to think about him growing up in that big house, surrounded by nannies and parents who practiced dark magic all around him. "Why did you wonder about Muggle children?"

"I would see them, all the time on the street." He shrugged. "I always knew they were Muggle children, because my mom would be very clear that I couldn't play any of my 'tricks.' I just always wondered what it would be like, to live in a home without magic. Where punishment didn't consist of torture, where cleaning couldn't be done by magic, where you didn't have to worry about saying the wrong thing to the wrong person because they could kill you with a flick of their wrist."

Hermione shuddered at the matter-of-fact tone that Draco used to describe his upbringing, like it was something he'd seen in a movie instead of something he lived every day. "Do you still want to be a Healer?" she asked.

Draco smiled, jumping a little like he couldn't believe she remembered that. "Yeah, I do. All I've ever done my life is hurt people and now I want to change that. Still want to work for the Ministry?"

"Yes." Hermione had thought a lot about it. When she was with Ron, it was hard to consider any job that wasn't an Auror. The position was there and waiting for her, why shouldn't she take it and continue the work she'd begun when she'd become friends with Ron and Harry? Now, though…she didn't know. "I don't know if I want to be an Auror, though. Maybe I'll work in the Magical Creatures department, or the International Magical Cooperation department, or Magical Law Enforcement."

"Wherever you go, I'm sure you'll be amazing at it." Draco nudged away his plate and leaned back in his chair. There was a bit of chocolate next to his mouth and Hermione felt a desperate urge to lick it away.

Hermione picked up the last crumbs of the chocolate cake and licked them off her fork. She glanced over the table to see Draco watching her, pupils dilated. Right on cue, the back wall of the Room twisted and produced a deep red loveseat.

"Did you ask for that?" Draco asked.

"I don't think so." Hermione pushed herself out of her chair and draped herself over the corner of the couch. "Does it matter now that it's here?"

Draco hesitated before hurrying over to join her. She cuddled up his chest, taking his hand into hers, and reached up to kiss the corner of his mouth, the tip of her tongue flicking out to lick away the chocolate.

They kissed, slow and lazy. Draco rested a hand on the back of her neck, keeping her close even though Hermione knew she wasn't going anywhere. Her hands slipped under his shirt, running up his warm chest and feeling the powerful beat of his heart under her touch. She never wanted the moment to end.

It was late by the time Hermione roused herself from the light doze she'd fallen into, realizing she was stretched out with Draco's arms wrapped around her from behind.

"I should probably be getting back," she said.

Draco tightened his grip a little bit, tugging her back against his chest. "Do you really have to?"

"Yes." Hermione twined her fingers with his and pulled away his hands so she could slip out from under them. "Good night, Draco."

He smirked up at her, tugging her down by her collar for a kiss. "Good night, Hermione."

She hummed as she walked through the passages and up the staircases to the seventh floor. The castle was dim and silent, except for her humming echoing off the walls.

The good feeling disappeared when she crawled through the portrait hole to see Ginny pacing the floor with Harry sitting in his usual chair.

"I'm sure everything is fine," Harry was saying. "She's probably just…"

"Hermione!" Ginny's face lapsed into relief for a second before turning bright red. Hermione half-expected her red hair to turn into actual flames.

"Um…hi." She clambered out and wrung her hands together.

"What's going on with you, Hermione? Harry and I never see you and when we do, you're always running off somewhere. When I ask about it, you lie to me. Right to my face. And on the map…"

"The map?" Anger flared in her heart, masking the fear and guilt. "You're stalking me now?"

"We were worried, Hermione," Harry spoke up from the chair, his face full of regret and determination. "We thought…"

"I'm fine. I've been on patrol a lot and you probably just missed me. It's a big map and there are a lot of people." Hermione tried to brush past them, but Ginny snagged her by the arm.

"Are you sure there isn't something going on?" Ginny looked almost sad as she held Hermione's gaze. "You can talk to us. We're your friends and if you're in trouble…"

"I'm not in trouble." Hermione twisted her face into a smile. "I'm just really busy. Homework and being Head Girl and all these extra patrols because of the Death Eaters."

Ginny sighed and Hermione knew in her heart that she didn't believe her. She thought about telling them everything, about her nights with Draco and the dinner they'd just had and how happy he made her. Even though these were her best friends she knew they would never understand. Their history with the Malfoys ran even deeper than hers and she didn't expect them to see what she saw. She thought back to their first days back, when they stepped out of the carriages and Ginny caught sight of Draco, looking at him with loathing that Hermione used to feel.

"I wish you could trust us." The hurt in Ginny's voice cracked like a whip against Hermione's heart.

She snapped. "I wish you could trust _me_ when I say that everything is fine. I'm _busy. _I can't be here all of the time."

"Hermione, we're just trying to help," Harry interrupted.

"Don't worry about me. It's all fine and if it wasn't then I would tell you." Hermione couldn't stop the anger from creeping into her voice. She whirled around, dodging out from under Ginny's hand as she reached to grab her arm, and headed out the portrait hole.


	24. Chapter 24

_"Don't worry about me. It's all fine and if it wasn't then I would tell you." Hermione couldn't stop the anger from creeping into her voice. She whirled around, dodging out from under Ginny's hand as she reached to grab her arm, and headed out the portrait hole._

Hermione wandered the corridors for what felt like hours, before finally settling down in front of the library. She was too restless to go inside and she didn't want to face all the memories at the moment. If she thought about Draco then she'd have to think about Harry and Ginny. Her anger was starting to flare out now, leaving desperation in its place.

She'd turned to books when it came to Flamel and the Stone, the monster in the Chamber of Secrets, preparing Harry for the Triwizard Tournament, and even information on Horcruxes but no book could help her with something like this. She'd never experienced feelings like these before and they made her thoughts run in circles in her head until she thought she might go insane.

She hated having to lie to Harry and Ginny, but there didn't seem to be another option. Except maybe giving up Draco, but that wasn't one she was willing to entertain. She loved her friends and she wanted to believe they wouldn't leave her, but the possibility of it terrified her. The familiar smell of books drifted out, loosening the knots in her muscles. Even now, no matter what had happened in the past or would happen in the future, she had this feeling that books were her friends and nothing could change that. She leaned back against the wall and let her eyes slide closed.

"Hermione?" A familiar wistful voice interrupted the peace. She opened her eyes as someone else settled down on the floor next to her. It was Luna, dressed in her usual Hogwarts robes, accented with what looked like radishes hanging from her ears and a crown of baby's breath flowers.

"Hey, Luna." Hermione smiled over at the younger girl. She'd always found Luna to be a little odd, but deep down she envied her.

"What's wrong?" Luna's face was oddly clouded with worry, which threw Hermione off more than anything. Luna rarely looked worried. Her mind always seemed to float along in the clouds, hopping from one fantastic notion to the next.

"It's been a long day." Hermione thought of her friends and anxiety tightened in her stomach as she considered having to walk back into the Gryffindor common room and face them again tonight. Then she thought of Draco again and the tension in her body had nothing to do with anxiety. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"You're in love," Luna said, smiling.

Hermione jumped. "How did you…?"

She expected something about some kind of invisible creature fluttering over her head or something equally insane-sounding. Instead Luna said, "You started staring off into space and you were smiling. And when I asked, you blushed. Plus you're not exactly _denying _it now, are you? "

"We have to keep it a secret. No one knows, not even Harry and Ginny." The words rushed out of Hermione's mouth, tinged with anxiety.

Luna smiled conspiratorially. "I won't tell them. Maybe you should, though. If they judge you for who you love, they're not really your friends, are they?"

Hermione held back a sigh. She knew in her heart that it was true, but it was another thing to hear it spoken out loud and know Luna was right. "What if it's someone that we never really saw eye to eye with in the past, someone who made a lot of bad choices?"

"Things have changed since the War. People have changed. A lot of us have done things in the past we're not proud of, but it's time to face up and move on. And they're more than just your friends, Hermione. If they can't trust you on something like this… A healthy relationship is like a flower: it needs light in order to really live."

Hermione knew she was right, but that didn't make things any easier. "I still can't tell them. I'm…just not ready."

"That's okay, but you should probably tell them something. Things are crazy around here and they're probably just worried about you." Luna stood up and brushed off her robes. "It's almost Christmas. Don't forget to watch out for the nargles." In a blink of an eye, she was gone, skipping off down the passageway.

Hermione stared after her, a faint smile on her face, and tried not to think of what she would say when she saw her friends again.

She didn't see Harry and Ginny again until breakfast the next morning. They sat in their usual spots, eating their usual food, gave her the usual "Good morning" as she slipped into her seat. Despite the familiarity, everything felt wrong. They didn't look at her when she sat down and Ginny didn't offer her the _Daily Prophet_ as she set the copy she was reading aside.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, trying not to let the pain enter her voice. "You were only trying to help last night and I shouldn't have reacted like that. But I promise you, I _am _fine."

Harry is the first to react, looking up with a slow smile. "We were just worried, Hermione. You could have been attacked and we wouldn't…"

"I know. But we're at Hogwarts. There's no safer place, not one…" Her smile faltered and Harry looked away again. Hogwarts had never been a particularly safe place, especially not for them. But like Luna had said…things had changed, right?

"I'm sorry for using the map," Ginny said. "You were right, it was wrong to do that. I should have trusted you."

Hermione smiled and the three of them relaxed into a familiar morning of breakfast. The news was devoid of Death Eater reports, worryingly so. It was like they'd all disappeared again. Hermione thought of Theo and shivered. They needed to catch him and they needed to catch him soon.

The corridors were empty and cold. Hermione shivered as she made her way through the castle on patrol, starting on the seventh floor and working her way down. She was in the dungeons now, dangerously close to the Slytherin common room's entrance, and it was chilly and damp. She wrapped her cloak as closely as her outstretched wand would allow and kept moving.

Around the corner, there was a crash of something cascading to the ground followed by a strangled yell. Hermione raced over, heart bounding and spells on the tip of her tongue.

There were mops and cleaning supplies all over the floor. Draco was sprawled on the floor underneath them.

Hermione let out a exasperated sight, stowed her wand away, and leaned over to help him up.

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" she asked, her voice echoing up and down the passage. Even though she was relatively certain that they were alone, she was taking no chances.

"None of your business, Granger." She could see him thinking about pushing away her offered hand, but he took it instead and allowed her to pull him up. "What are you doing down here, mucking up the Slytherin passageways?"

"It's my job." Her tone stayed frosty as she helped him stuff everything back into the broom closet it had fallen out of. "I'm Head Girl, which you would do well to remember."

Draco's voice dropped to a whisper as they finished returning everything to its proper place and closed the door. "What are you doing down here, Hermione?"

The change in voice and expression was so severe that it threw Hermione off balance. How could that cold boy be the same as the one with the warm eyes and softened face that stood before her now? Was the harsh one the version that Harry and Ginny always saw, even when Draco looked like this?

"I'm on patrol, Draco." She started to walk and he followed on her heels. "You know that."

"It's still not safe down here for you, not even as the Head Girl."

The warning sent shivers down her spine, but she straightened up, flicking her wand and thinking _Lumos_ to light the darkening passage. "I can take care of myself. Do you always go fishing around in broom cupboards?"

"I—" Draco's voice stuttered to a stop.

"You were looking for Theo." It wasn't a question. Hermione waited for him to say something, anything to prove her wrong, but he stayed silent. "Damn it, Draco. What would you do if you found him?"

"Capture him. Bring him to McGonagall. I didn't really think about it." He had his wand out and was following along on her side. "Don't tell me you weren't down here looking for him too. I know that expression."

Hermione turned her face away, trying to arrange it into something more like a sense of duty than the raw determination she felt. "Come with me then."

He didn't say anything but she could see the slight smile on his face as they made their way around the castle. Hermione had to admit it was nice, comfortable even, knowing that Draco had her back. They moved together in tandem, one of them always keeping track of every direction, so there would be no surprises.

"Theo is a Slytherin, right?" Hermione said. The lack of sleep and intensity of the search was starting to wear on her. "Do you guys have any other secrets besides, you know, the Chamber?"

Draco clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he thought. "Not really. There are the dungeons, but there isn't really anywhere to hide…" He froze, his eyes sliding out of focus. "There is one place, though. I think I know where he might be."

"Where?" Hermione asked, but his only reply was to take off at a jog, heading back down the stairs all the way down to the dungeons again. He led her deeper and deeper into the castle, until she was almost shivering with cold, and down a hallway with doors that Quirrell may have used to let the troll in on Halloween so many years ago.

Draco held a finger up to his lips as he paused outside of a tapestry featuring a rusty red-colored river lined with bone-white trees. Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she pointed her wand at the tapestry and Draco yanked it aside.

Hermione was hit as a fairly large, solid body flew from the opening behind it and collided with her. A curse leapt to her lips, but her wand had skittered across the floor, thrown by the force of the blow.

BANG. Theo tumbled off her, slumping against the wall on the opposite side. A trail of blood ran down the side of his forehead.

Hermione's head spun as she pulled herself to her feet, using the wall for support. She needed to do…needed to do something…but maybe she should sit down for a bit. Her knees threatened to give out from under her as she focused on Draco.

His face thundered with fury, his wand pointed directly at Theo's heart.

"What are you going to do, Malfoy?" Theo snarled. "Kill me? Go right ahead. You don't have the guts."

"I don't, do I?" Draco's voice was darker than Hermione could ever remember hearing it. He looked like a snake, determined, unblinking, deadly. She wanted to tell him to stop but she couldn't seem to get her tongue to cooperate.

Draco opened his mouth. Time stood still as Hermione waited for the curse to come out, waited for Draco to take his revenge.

"_Incarcerous," _Draco whispered. Ropes flew out of his wand, binding Theo where he lay. If they seemed a little tighter than the normal spell, well, Hermione wasn't going to say anything.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked, looking to her for the first time.

The hall had stopped spinning. Hermione took a step and then another until she reached her wand and picked it up. "I'm fine. I'll get McGonagall, shall I?" She sent him a questioning glance and he looked back from where they came, realizing she was giving him the chance to leave.

"Yes." He walked over and leaned against the wall next to her, stroking the back of her hand with two fingers. "I'm not leaving."

Theo made gagging noises on the floor. "I might vomit," he said, glaring at the two of them. "Isn't that the Mudblood girl? I hope you're at least—"

"_Silencio," _Hermione muttered, cutting him off in mid-sentence before Draco could do anything they'd both regret. She sent a Patronus message to McGonagall and leaned back to wait.

Within minutes, the sound of swift footsteps filled the hall and the Headmistress whirled around the corner with Slughorn in tow.

"Oh my." McGonagall clapped a hand over her chest as she spotted Theo. "How did you find him, Ms. Granger?"

"I ran into Malfoy here while I was on patrol. Theo attacked us. He was hiding behind that tapestry." Hermione waved her wand, settling the tapestry back into its spot in front of the hidden alcove. She was afraid to look at Malfoy, in case either of them betrayed the truth.

McGonagall didn't look convinced but she said, "Very well. Slughorn, escort Mr. Engman. You two come with us."

Hermione hung back, letting McGonagall, Slughorn, and Engman get a respectable head start.

"I'm glad it's over," Draco whispered.

Hermione looked at him, watching the small sigh of relief slip out from between his lips as his shoulders sagged. Anything she was about to say about her worries during the fight or after died on her lips. "Come on. We need to get up to McGonagall's office before she realizes we're not following."

Hermione hoped that maybe this could be the end, a sign of the last bits of trouble being sorted away. At the same time she couldn't shake the dark feeling that this was only the beginning.


	25. Chapter 25

_Hermione hoped that maybe this could be the end, a sign of the last bits of trouble being sorted away. At the same time she couldn't shake the dark feeling that this was only the beginning._

McGonagall sat behind her desk, a tired expression spread across her face. It was late, the night sky showing through the small windows in the office. A fire crackled in the grate, bathing the room in a flickering light. Slughorn stood in one corner, wand out and pointed at Theo. Filch lurked in the shadows, Mrs. Norris growling at his feet. Malfoy and Hermione sat in matching chairs on the other side of the Headmistress's desk.

Only Theo looked pleased to be there. He surveyed the office like he owned the place, apparently oblivious to the ropes still binding his arms and legs. He made a move like he was going to attempt to throw himself out the window and then laughed as Slughorn twitched to stop him.

"This is too much fun for that, old man," he said. His voice was smooth and arrogant in a way that ground on Hermione's nerves. It reminded her of how Draco used to be before the end of the War. Before she'd really met him. They even looked a little alike—same imperious, slightly ferret-like features and slim builds.

"The Aurors will be here soon," McGonagall said, though whether that was for Theo's benefit or theirs Hermione wasn't sure.

"I'm honored," Theo said. "They must be so busy and they're taking time out of their day chasing ghosts to come fetch me. How nice." He spat on the floor and Slughorn gave him a look of utmost disgust.

Hermione couldn't take it anymore. "How did you get into the castle?" she demanded. Fury thundered through her, beating in her ears and blocking out everything around them. She stood, stalking her way across the floor until she could peer into Theo's dark eyes.

"I Apparated. My, my." He whistled appreciatively as his eyes trailed down her body. "If I'd known there was a pretty young thing like you around the castle, I would've waited a bit longer to go after Draco."

Hermione's skin crawled, but instead of backing off his words only fueled her fury. She heard the legs of Draco's chair screech against the floor as he made to get up, but she flicked her hand to wave him off. She had this. "Not even someone as clever as you could Apparate into Hogwarts." She smiled, softening her body to appear smaller. Her flattery worked, judging by the way he preened and grinned.

"You're right about that. Maybe I took a secret passage, honey. I knew of more than a few in my days here. Though I daresay you know a few secrets of your own." His tongue flicked out over his bottom lip.

"You—" Draco snarled behind them. Hermione glanced quickly over her shoulder, silencing him with a look. He huffed, crossed his arms over his chest, remained standing but didn't say anything more as she turned around to continue.

Hermione paused, expecting Slughorn or McGonagall to stop her, but they didn't. They hung back, waiting and ready in case something went too far. _Secret passage. Honey. Harry. _"Honeydukes. That passage was blocked after the Battle."

Theo sagged a little. "Oh you're good. But you're not invincible."

"What do you mean?" Her eyes narrowed and she resisted the urge to pace around him. He needed to believe that he had the upper hand here, that he was smarter than her.

"Perhaps there's a traitor in your midst."

Hermione backed away a couple steps, mind racing. Theo hadn't been alone, not in the attacks and not in the castle. He wasn't alone inside the castle, so why wouldn't he have had help getting in? "Crabbe and Goyle. They helped you."

"I didn't say…" Theo's eyes flashed.

Hermione felt a sharp surge of triumph as the pieces clicked into place in her brain. "You Apparated into Hogsmeade and when you realized that you couldn't get into the castle through any of the secret passageways, you convinced Crabbe and Goyle to help you. They got you into the castle, probably just returning from their visit to Hogsmeade, after all everything that's brought into the castle is checked but not every_one_ and you were a student here before after all. No one questioned you."

"That's…" Theo's eyes were wide with terror. He struggled against his bounds, but he only succeeded in making them tighter. "Filthy Mudblood…"

Draco stood up, his hand reaching into his pocket for his wand but they were interrupted by three uniformed Aurors flinging open the door and hurrying inside. One of them took hold of Theo while the other two scanned the room.

"Did you get all of that?" McGonagall asked, calmly watching them.

"Yes, ma'am," one of the Aurors said. Hermione's eyes flicked over them and she was relieved to realize that none of them were Ron. They were all older, probably mid-thirties. The one who spoke was the taller of the three, a man with graying hair and thick pink scars like ropes running up his arms. There was also a second man with dark skin, and a blonde woman with her hair twisted back in a complicated braid.

"We'll make sure he's brought to justice, ma'am," the woman said. "And these other two—Crabbe and Goyle—as well."

"You'll find them in the Slytherin dungeons," Slughorn said. "I'll escort you there." He swept out of the room, followed by the two remaining Aurors. The one guiding Theo left last with a nod to all of them.

"Mr. Filch, you may go," McGonagall said.

Hermione looked to Filch in the shadows, having forgotten he was even there. He stood in the corner, leaning back against the wall with his mouth agape as he watched the proceedings. On his dismissal he shook his head and staggered from the room, Mrs. Norris trotting on his heels.

"Is there anything the two of you would like to say?" McGonagall asked, surveying them through her glasses. She had her own way of making them feel like they were being x-rayed. It was a piercing gaze that made Hermione want to shift in her chair.

"No, ma'am," Draco said. "I'm just glad that I could help."

"Ms. Granger?"

"I'm just happy that we know how he got into the castle and we can make sure that no one else takes advantage of the loophole," Hermione said. She only wanted to leave, to get a few minutes to talk to Draco. She was so exhausted that she could have curled up in the chair and fallen right to sleep if she thought McGonagall would allow it.

"Very well." McGonagall let out a soft sigh. "You two may go. Why don't you go get some rest, Ms. Granger. I daresay I think I can find someone else to keep watch on the castle tonight if need be."

"Thank you," Hermione said. Draco nodded his head in thanks as they stood and headed out of the office. They were midway down the spiral staircase, out of sight of the office and the ground floor, when Draco grabbed her wrist and pressed her softly against the wall for a kiss. The sweetness of it made Hermione's breath catch in her throat.

"I thought…when he hit you…" he whispered between kisses.

"I'm fine." One of Hermione's hands ran down the tense muscles of his back while the other slipped through his hair. "I'm fine. But I do think that I should get some rest now."

"Right." Draco's hands slipped off of her, slowly letting her go. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

It was Saturday, a day that she would normally spend holed up in the library studying. She probably still should, but she could afford a couple of hours. "I'll meet you in the Room after breakfast. Bring your books, I want to see that Transfiguration essay."

Draco groaned and opened his mouth to say something.

"Good night, Draco." Hermione reached up to press a kiss onto his lips before she started down the stairs, one step at a time.

The castle seemed a lot larger than normal as she dragged herself up the staircases and down the halls until she finally reached the familiar portrait of the Fat Lady. She mumbled out the password and crawled through the hole.

"Hermione!" Ginny threw herself out of her chair and at her friend. Hermione staggered under the force of her hug while Harry hovered nervously in the background. "We heard something about you catching a Death Eater on patrol. What happened?"

Hermione sighed. Sleep would have to wait. She sank down into her chair and brushed over her capture of Theo, leaving out Draco's involvement and most of the details of the fight. All she wanted to do was curl up in bed and not think anymore.

"I'm fine," she finished. "Just really tired."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ginny looked abashed. "We can talk in the morning, if you want."

"Yeah. In the morning." Hermione climbed out of the chair and tried not to crawl up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Her bed waited, warm and inviting. She crawled between the sheets as a little paper bird fluttered through the cracked window and landed on her arm.

The note read: _Good night, Hermione Granger. _

There was a smile on her face as she pushed the note under her pillow and closed her eyes.

After a comfortably uneventful breakfast, Hermione bowed out with the excuse that she had a lot of homework to make up after all her time spent patrolling and hurried down to the Room.

"I'm not sure how this happened," Draco said, still surveying the room with a confused expression. There was a chess table in the middle with an armchair on either side. Bookshelves lined all four walls, most of them crammed with books but a few shelves were laden with fresh rolls of parchment.

"It must have known I wanted to study," Hermione said, walking over to slip her arms around his waist. "I don't mind this at all. I…think we need to talk."

Draco looked cautious. "No good conversations start with that sentence."

"Depends on the meaning of good." She took his hand and guided him to the other side of the chess table while she sat down. "Can you play?"

"Of course I can play." He snorted. "I've been playing wizards' chess since I was a kid."

"This isn't wizards' chess." Hermione slid a white pawn forward.

They played in silence for a few minutes. Hermione held her tongue between her teeth in concentration. She'd never been great at chess—it was Ron's game after all—but she knew the rules and she preferred the Muggle game to the wizard version. "What did you want to talk about?" Draco asked.

Hermione looked up at him staring down at the game, wanting to see his face when she said it. "What if we stopped hiding?"

"What?" Draco knocked his castle off the table. He didn't reach to pick it up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what if we acted like a real couple? You know, eating together, sitting next to each other in class, hanging out, getting in trouble for making out in the hallways. It's just…a relationship is a flower…" She was rambling now and she knew it. He always made her feel so flustered and she couldn't get Luna's words out of her head. "I'm not saying I want to tell the whole world about us but I'm tired of keeping my friends in the dark."

Draco picked up his king and queen and tossed them from hand to hand. He looked like he did in the beginning, when the walls were up behind his eyes and he wasn't going to let any of his real feelings through. "If you think that's right…"

Hermione tugged her chair around so that she could reach over and touch him. It wasn't until he snatched his arm away that she realized that was the one with the Dark Mark. "I won't tell them if you don't want me to. What if I told them something, like I helped you with your Potions essay or that you were the one that captured Theo? And if they're okay with it, I'll tell them everything."

"That would be…good." Draco's eyes rose slowly from his hand to her face and he dropped the queen into her lap. "I just don't want to lose you."

For a moment the walls fell away and she could see the unbridled worry behind his eyes. Hermione looked down at the queen and smiled, placing her back on the board. "You won't lose me. I just really like you and I'm tired of not being able to say it anywhere but this room."

Draco leaned over and kissed her. She kissed him back, a new feeling of excitement and nerves welling up inside of her. She was more than ready to step out of the shadows and into the daylight. So just hoped that Draco was willing to come with her. As afraid as he was to lose her, she couldn't think about losing him. She just hoped that her friends would be understanding, because she didn't know what she would do if they offered an ultimatum.


	26. Chapter 26

_Draco leaned over and kissed her. She kissed him back, a new feeling of excitement and nerves welling up inside of her. She was more than ready to step out of the shadows and into the daylight. So just hoped that Draco was willing to come with her. As afraid as he was to lose her, she couldn't think about losing him. She just hoped that her friends would be understanding, because she didn't know what she would do if they offered an ultimatum._

When Hermione tired of playing chess, the Room provided a sleek red couch for her to curl up on. Her Charms homework took twice as long as normal to complete, mostly because she kept getting distracted by Draco sitting at the chess table pushing the pieces around.

At first she thought he was just playing with himself. Then she realized that the chess pieces she'd abandoned were playing on their own.

"I thought that was Muggle chess," she said.

"I think it is," Draco replied, delicately moving his knight forward. "This is the Room of Requirement, right? It provides whatever you need. So if you were to, say, need someone to play chess with…then the Room becomes that someone." He didn't look at her as he spoke, eyes focused on the game, voice still soft and upbeat.

The more Hermione thought about that, the sadder she felt. She imagined someone sitting in here, all alone with only the Room to play with. She didn't have time to dwell on it long, because a few minutes later the door opened.

All the people who might know about this place flashed through her mind, until she noticed a house elf peeking around the corner. "If it's all right, I brought sandwiches and tea for mister and miss," he squeaked.

Hermione hurried across the room to take the laden tray from him. She wished she had some money, but she had to settle for "Thank you."

"Miss is very welcome." The elf bowed low and slipped back out the door.

"Come on," Hermione said, trailing her fingers over Draco's shoulders as she passed behind him on her way back to the couch. "We shouldn't let all this food go to waste."

A table materialized just as Hermione sat down, in time for Draco to whack his shin directly into the wooden surface. Hermione covered her mouth and stifled a giggle as he snarled and hobbled around to the couch.

The rest of the afternoon passed quietly. Once they'd polished off the sandwiches, Hermione and Draco curled up next to each other with their respective homework in their laps. Every once in a while one of them would interrupt the silence with a question, but mostly they stayed quiet and comfortable with the knowledge that they were together and that was enough. Even so, lurking in the shadows was always the question of whether their relationship could survive outside of the room, and the first step of that was whether or not her friends would accept it.

"Should we ask the Room for dinner or…?" Draco asked.

Hermione glanced at the wall where the clock usually hung and a grandfather clock manifested itself just below her gaze. If they wanted to make dinner in the Great Hall, they would have to get going. "I should probably go spend some time with my friends. Tell them, well…" Her nervousness pricked up again.

Draco kissed her then, his fingers soft and tentative against her jaw. "I trust you," he whispered.

It sent a shiver down her spine more than anything else he'd said so far. After everything they'd been through, that he should trust her and that she should trust him _back…_she wasn't sure how much that meant to her.

They kissed for a few more minutes, until Draco pulled himself away and they clambered off the couch. Hermione left first, slipping out into the passage and knocking on the door to let Draco know it was clear. They took opposite passages to the Great Hall, so they wouldn't be traveling together. Excitement welled up in Hermione at the idea that they might not have to take precautions like this for much longer.

"I need to talk to you," Hermione said. It was after dinner and they'd retired back to the common room for the evening. Harry was frowning at his Potions essay and Ginny was reclined in her chair, flipping through her Transfiguration textbook.

Hermione tried to concentrate on her homework, to savor these moments of familiarity, in case they were all about to come to an end. They'd been through so much together that she didn't think she could bear it if this was the breaking point. She changed her mind continuously, each time thinking of Draco and how tired she felt about hiding him.

Scared or not, she needed to get this out and she needed to do it now.

"What is it, Hermione?" Ginny asked as she dropped her open textbook onto her chest.

Hermione glanced around to make sure that there wasn't anyone listening in. Most everyone had disappeared from the common room—either down to the library or outside to enjoy an evening of random nice weather. Everyone that remained seemed to be absorbed in their own little worlds. She took a deep breath. "When I told you about catching Theo, I left out some details. I wasn't alone and I knew where to find him."

"How?" Harry asked. He was looking up now, expression curious.

"Someone helped me. They had an idea of where he was hiding and so we went down to check, and he turned out to be right…" Her voice was slow, stumbling, hesitant. Now that she was sitting here and they were staring at her, she wasn't sure she was ready for this moment.

"Out with it, Hermione," Ginny said.

She bit her bottom lip and let the words flow out before she could second guess herself again. "It was Dra—Malfoy. I ran into him in the Slytherin dungeons and since he was the one Theo has been after, he agreed to help me find him. It was his idea to check the alcove that Theo turned out to be hiding him. And he captured Theo, not me."

She braced herself for the onslaught, but instead her confession was met only with silence. When the quiet continued until it was pressing down on her eardrums, she forced her eyes up away from the parchment in front of her to her friends' faces. Harry looked cautious, but otherwise impassive. Ginny just looked shocked.

"You should be more careful," Harry said.

Hermione startled. She'd expected admissions of surprise and outrage, but not words of warning. She didn't have anything prepared for this, not that she really felt like she had anything prepared at all.

"What?" she asked.

"What if Malfoy was in on it with Theo? What if they'd attacked you?" Harry pressed. "No one would have known where you were to help, and it could have been hours before anyone even knew you were missing."

Hermione deflated. "They didn't."

"That's not the point, Hermione," Ginny cut in. "Malfoy's dangerous. Look at all the things he's done to us, to _you." _

"It's not like he ever fought with us in the War," Harry said. "I saved his _life_ and the first thing he did was go back and try to fight with the Death Eaters. Then you know what happened when his parents fled."

Hermione sat frozen in her chair. This wasn't going the way she wanted it to at all, but she couldn't figure out how to make them _see. _

"Where's the proof that he's any better now?" Ginny continued. "If you ask me, he should be in Azkaban with his father. The only reason he was allowed to come back is because everyone from that year was."

"He hasn't done anything wrong!" Hermione rose to his defense, her voice growing more desperate. "Malfoy was _helping_ me. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have found Theo and he'd still be loose in the castle somewhere."

Harry was starting to look more angry than she'd ever seen him, stiff with tension and his eyes a dark green. Ginny just looked agitated, moving around in her chair and waving her hands. "I'm glad that whole thing with Theo is over no matter who was involved, but that doesn't mean you can trust Malfoy. Why are you even defending him? In case you've forgotten, his father almost killed me," Ginny said.

Hermione couldn't stop the words from bursting out of her mouth. "Draco didn't have anything to do with the diary." Hermione didn't want to look at all the things he'd done, didn't want to think about it anymore. She wanted to think about the Draco she knew now. The one that she was sure wasn't dangerous. The one that studied with her and played chess with her and kissed her like they had all the time in the world.

"So?" Ginny snapped. "Like father, like son. He's still a Death Eater and that's never going to change."

Hermione remembered the Dark Mark still standing out on his skin. "What about that day in the Manor?" She suppressed a shudder. "He could have said right off that you were Harry, but he didn't." She was starting to feel desperate, sorting through her memory for something—anything—she could use as a defense.

"Didn't stop him from trying to kill you all," Ginny snapped. "Or fighting for the other side during the Battle even after you saved his life from the Fiendfyre."

"What about when he tried to get Buckbeak killed and Hagrid fired?" Harry said.

"Or when he was on the Inquisitorial Squad?"

"Or when he almost killed Katie and Ron?"

"Because he was trying to kill Dumbledore."

"All right, all right," Hermione interrupted, feeling like she was going to be sick. She couldn't take it anymore, couldn't listen to them laying out Draco's sins in front of them. She'd been there for all of it and it wasn't something that she would ever forget, but she was willing to try to move on. "I was there, I know what he did. I just wanted to let you know that I didn't apprehend Theo alone." She collapsed back into her chair, feeling exhausted even though it was still early in the evening and she hadn't done much.

Harry slowly went back to his homework in silence. Ginny leaned forward, his face intense. "We just want you to be careful. The War might be over but…" She trailed off and Hermione could still see the pain that all of them carried, the weight of what the War had cost.

"I will be." She felt like she'd just bit into a lemon, her mouth sour and her stomach churning. She'd been so caught up in the moment that she hadn't really been able to consider what she would do if her friends rejected the idea of a changed Draco. Hermione pulled out the two-way parchment just to have something to do with her hands until she could turn in early. Her face softened when she recognized Draco's handwriting in a new note and woke up immediately when she registered what it said.

_McGonagall called me to her office. Can you get away to the Room? I need…you. _The letters in "you" were cut deeper into the parchment and clearer, like he'd slowly etched them there one line at a time.

Hermione's heart raced. What could McGonagall have said that Draco needed to see her right now? Could it be something about Theo? Or did she suspect he knew something about the Death Eater attacks and wanted to interrogate him? What if they wanted to take him away from Hogwarts? She flashed back to their second year, when Hagrid was taken to Azkaban because of Voldemort. Hermione would be damned if she let another innocent be taken away from the castle because of that horrible creature.

She was halfway to the portrait hole before she'd even realized she was standing.

"Where are you going?" Harry called behind her.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder as she kept moving. "I realized I forgot something in the library. I'll be right back." The lies came easier this time, and without the usual guilt. If Harry and Ginny weren't going to even try to understand, why should she keep trying to make them?

It seemed to take her no time at all to get to the Room. The door appeared on her approach and she slipped inside.

The Room contained a cozy little set-up. The walls were painted dark green and the floor covered with a thick gold carpet. The only furniture was a rich brown leather couch that Draco was currently stretched across on his back.

He looked over when the door snapped shut behind Hermione. She was shocked to see a tear running over his cheek. In seconds she'd crossed the room and was sitting down in the space next to his legs.

"What's going on?" she asked, reaching out and placing her hand on his calf, the only part of him that she could reach without having to lean over awkwardly.

"McGonagall called me to her office, to talk about my mother," he answered. Hermione's breath caught in her throat. She strained her ears to listen to Draco's quiet, rough voice. "She's fine, but…she's helping the Aurors to track down the rogue Death Eaters. McGonagall wanted to let me know, in case there's backlash. It's too dangerous for me to go home right now so I have to spend Christmas here."

Hermione moved over on the couch, manipulating Draco until she was sitting on the end of the couch and his head was resting on her lap. She combed her fingers through his hair and stared across the room at the wall. "Your mom will be fine. She's had a lot of experience with Death Eaters and surviving. And the sooner the Death Eaters are caught, the sooner everything can get better."

Draco sighed. "It's just…my mum never really wanted to be a Death Eater. My dad dragged her into this mess, attracted to the idea of a world ruled by purebloods. And now here she is getting involved with everything again."

"Maybe she's just trying to make things right." Hermione thought back to the night Harry had told them what happened in the forest—though she'd always had the feeling he was leaving something out—and Narcissa's risk. Her last act had been in defiance of the Death Eaters and that had to mean something, if only it was that she cared more for knowledge of the whereabouts of her son than about the Death Eaters.

"I wish that I could go in her place," Draco whispered. Hermione's fingers tightened in his hair, the idea of him leaving to hunt Death Eaters too much for her. "I know that I have to stay here, and I know that she's probably in a better position to find them than I am, I just…"

Hermione knew what he meant. It was the reason why she'd gone to such lengths to protect her family when she went to hunt Horcruxes with Harry and Ron. It was the reason why, even now that they were back and everything was as normal as it could ever be, she always had this sadness when she looked at her parents. "It'll be okay," she said.

Draco snuggled closer to her and she could see his eyes close. "Did you mention me to Harry and Ginny?" he asked, his voice curious but heavy. "Or did I interrupt you before you had time?"

"No. No, I did." Hermione kept her grip on his hair light and soft even as worry tightened around her heart. She didn't want to tell him what they'd said, not on top of the worry over his mother.

"And?"

"Don't worry about it. I don't think I'm quite ready to tell them everything yet."

Draco sat up slowly and pressed a kiss to her lips. The sweetness in his eyes only made her memories of Ginny—_Malfoy's dangerous_—and Harry—_it could have been hours before anyone even knew you were missing_—hurt more. Why couldn't they just see what she saw?


	27. Chapter 27

_Draco sat up slowly and pressed a kiss to her lips. The sweetness in his eyes only made her memories of Ginny—Malfoy's dangerous—and Harry—it could have been hours before anyone even knew you were missing—hurt more. Why couldn't they just see what she saw?_

For the next week, Hermione took care to divide her time between Draco and her friends. She didn't mention anything to Harry or Ginny about Draco or Theo or much of anything for that matter. It hit her like a ton of bricks when, one morning, she realized that her best friends were quickly becoming people that she ate meals with and sometimes studied next to in the evenings. She just couldn't believe how fast things had changed, but for some reason she couldn't find it in herself to wish them back.

In the wake of the news about his mother, Draco became more subdued. They still talked and kissed and laughed, but sometimes their conversations would lapse into a heavy silence and Draco would stare at the wall with a blank expression. In those moments Hermione could never think of what to say, so she just put her arm around his shoulders and squeezed him tight.

She knew what it was like to have loved ones in harm's way.

On Friday evening posters appeared all over the castle, reminding everyone of the scheduled Hogsmeade trip that weekend. Hermione was frankly surprised that they were still allowing Hogsmeade visits, in light of Theo's confession, but McGonagall assured her that increased security measures would be put into place to ensure that no one would return to the castle who didn't belong there.

"You're not on duty this weekend," McGonagall finished as Hermione was just about to leave her office. "Why don't you go to Hogsmeade? Have some fun."

Hermione's brows crinkled at the suggestion. "I will, Headmistress. Thank you."

She was still thinking about the visit when she went to meet Draco that evening and the moment she walked through the door, inspiration struck. Draco was stretched out on a couch waiting for her in their usual set-up of the Room—couch, bookshelves, fireplace—with a faraway expression. He only focused on her face when she dropped down beside him.

"I was thinking, why don't we go to Hogsmeade this weekend? Together?" she asked.

Draco didn't answer right away, his eyes confused as he repeated her words in his head. "Like _together_ together?"

"Why not?" Hermione couldn't believe she'd never thought of this before and it was making her giddy with excitement. "It's snowing in the village, so we can bundle up enough that most people won't recognize us. It's a big town and everyone will be too busy paying attention to their own business that they won't have time to notice us."

Draco sat up slowly, a smirk on his face. "Hermione Granger, are you asking me out on a date?"

"Was bound to happen sooner or later." She smirked right back at him. "Is that a yes?"

"How could I refuse?" Draco leaned over and pressed a kiss to her lips. It was some time before either of them spoke again.

"Hermione, are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Ginny asked. They were in the girls' dormitory and Hermione was keeping her back to her friend to make sure she didn't notice the smile that she couldn't seem to suppress.

"Can't." She crawled underneath the covers, loving the way the cool sheets felt. "I have a ton of homework that needs doing and some things for McGonagall." She'd decided hours ago that it would be better for everyone if her friends didn't know that she would be in Hogsmeade. If they assumed she was in the castle, they wouldn't be looking for her.

"Not even for a couple hours? You've been working so hard. I'm sure McGonagall would understand…"

"It's fine." Hermione tried not to snap. "I volunteered. I don't really have anything that I need and I've been to Hogsmeade before. Honestly the novelty starts to wear off after a while." That was partly true, but it didn't mean she wasn't looking forward to a nice butterbeer and a stop in the little bookstore that no one ever seemed to notice because it was next to Zonko's.

"Okay. Well, good luck with everything." Ginny climbed into bed and closed the curtains around it with a flick of her wand.

Hermione sighed. "Have fun tomorrow."

"I will. Good night, Hermione."

"Good night, Ginny."

She stayed awake for a couple more hours, just staring up at the ceiling. There had been a time in the beginning when she'd wondered if the Sorting Hat had got it wrong, if maybe she was meant to be in Ravenclaw, if she would be happier there. When she'd become friends with Harry and Ron those thoughts had disappeared, but now they were back full force. Except this time she didn't know where she belonged.

After breakfast the next day Hermione waited until most everyone had already left for Hogsmeade before heading upstairs to bundle up. She put on a couple sweaters, including one with a hood, her winter cloak, and a thick pair of mittens.

Draco was waiting for her outside of the Room of Requirement, dressed in a similar fashion. His silver jumper really brought out his eyes and the way his black cloak cascaded over his shoulders and down to the floor reminded Hermione of a young fairy tale villain, still impressionable and unsure about the way of life.

Her heart jumped when she saw him and she couldn't wait to get to Hogsmeade. She wasn't about to let anything ruin this day.

"Ready?" Draco asked, offering her his arm.

She accepted. "Let's go."

They broke apart to walk past Professor Flitwick and Professor Slughorn standing at the entrance back to the castle. Hermione nodded to them as they passed, but Draco just slipped by with his head down and his eyes fixed on the ground.

Once they were safely out of sight, Hermione hurried to catch up and Draco slung an arm over her shoulders. The town looked like something out of a Christmas card, all dusted with snow with lights in the windows. It was a blustery, overcast day but the town was still packed with students and residents out wandering.

"You choose the first stop," Draco said as they stepped out onto the main street.

Hermione laughed in response, grabbed his hand, and pulled him down the street. The bookstore wasn't far and it was warm inside. She pushed her hood back off her head once she was sure that none of their fellow students had taken refuge there.

"I've never been in here," Draco said as he surveyed the place.

"It's my favorite shop in the village." Hermione wound her way through the shelves with the ease of familiarity, running her fingers down the spines of the books in greeting. She knew this little store almost as well as her absolute favorite bookshop just around the corner from her house. "I know for most people it's Honeydukes or Zonko's but for me there's nothing better than a building full of books."

Draco smiled at her through this admission and then followed, occasionally plucking a book from the shelf and looking it over, as she browsed. Normally she could spend the entire morning in there without a second thought, but she cut her time short and quickly selected three books. The shopkeeper smiled at her and promised, as always, to keep them behind the counter until she was ready to pick them up before she returned to the castle.

"Your turn," she said once they were standing outside in the streets again. It had begun to snow, big fat flakes that created a patchwork of art across their cloaks.

"How about the Three Broomsticks? I'd give anything for a drink right about now." Hermione nodded in agreement and they walked until they reached the familiar storefront. It was packed inside, but they managed to make it to a little table in the back that seemed private enough. Hermione ducked her head when Dean and Seamus crashed through the door, covered from head to toe in a thick layer of snow.

Madame Rosmerta scowled at them before waving her wand to clean off the snow. "Try not to track water all over my floors," she told them. Once the two boys were safely settled at a table on the other side of the pub, Hermione leaned back and caught Madame Rosmerta's eye, calling her over.

"What can I get you two?" she asked.

"Butterbeer, please," Hermione replied.

"Firewhiskey," Draco added. Hermione glared at him and he slouched a little under the intensity of her gaze. "Fine. Butterbeer for me, too, please."

A girl that Hermione recognized as a Hufflepuff in their year passed close by after Rosmerta disappeared to retrieve their orders. Hermione had to resist the urge to duck under the table. Once the feeling passed she hated herself for even considering it. This was _Draco_ she was with. It wasn't like the two of them were strangers. Still, this hanging out in front of people was new to her and she didn't know how to deal with it. She wanted everything to be comfortable and perfect, but it was hard when she was terrified that any second someone would recognize them.

"This is ridiculous," Draco said as he ducked his head down to obscure his face in the shadows. "We're in the same year and we could just be two friends out for a drink. Why is it so hard?"

Hermione gave him a sad smile. "Because we're us. We're not just two friends." She slid her foot across the floor until it bumped into his. "I'm sorry about this."

"It's me. If I was anyone else…"

"You wouldn't be you," Hermione cut him off firmly. "And then I wouldn't be here at all." Draco hesitated and smiled back at her.

Before they could say anything else, Madame Rosmerta appeared with their drinks. Draco took a long draught and let out a sigh. "Butterbeer was my favorite drink when I was a kid," he admitted. "Whenever my father would spend an evening away from the mansion, my mum would warm some up and we'd curl up in the study. She was the one that taught me to play chess."

Hermione smiled. "It was hot chocolate for me. With three marshmallows and just a touch of whipped cream. I'd go outside to play in the snow and there'd always be a mug waiting for me when I got inside."

"The Muggle world doesn't drink butterbeer, do they?" He looked genuinely curious without a hint of derision. It was such a fascinating change, this new interest in those people he'd once claimed to hate.

Hermione shook her head. "No they don't."

"How do they survive?"

"They make do." She laughed and soon he chimed in. The people around them glanced over and they had to hurry to silence themselves before someone recognized them. Hermione leaned closer to him over the table as they sipped their drinks and chattered on.

When the butterbeer was gone, Draco dropped a pair of galleons on the table before they headed back out. "Let's just walk," Hermione suggested and Draco twined his fingers with hers as they meandered through the streets. The snow was coming down harder now, chasing some people back inside and turning the town into a winter wonderland. Hermione stuck out her tongue to catch a couple flakes.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked, his voice more curious and hesitant than scornful.

Hermione winked at him. "They're snowflakes. Come on, live a little."

Draco stuck the tip of his tongue out of his mouth. Hermione laughed and twirled with her arms out, the snow cold on her face.

Before they knew it, they were standing at the end of the road looking at the fence warning people away from the Shrieking Shack. Draco shuddered as he looked at the lonely, broken down building half-hidden in the snow. "I know that it's crazy, but that place still gives me the creeps."

Hermione thought back to the last time the two of them were standing here, when she and Ron were the ones standing by the fence and Draco had come to have a laugh at them. When Harry had turned up in the Cloak and assaulted him with mud. She thought about telling him the truth about that day, but couldn't think of a way to do that without revealing Harry's Cloak.

Instead she said, "I don't like it either."

They turned away and started to head back the way they came. Hermione gasped out loud when Draco took her by the arm and twirled her around, catching her again with a hand on her waist.

"If you wanted to dance with me," Hermione said, laughing, "you could have just asked."

"This is more fun," he murmured into her ear. She chuckled and he reached up to push her hood down, letting the snow drift down and land in her hair. She reached up to do the same to him and the contrast of the snow in his hair against his dark cloak made him look like an ice prince.

"What do you think? Is our first real date worth a kiss?" She smiled up into his face, eyes alight and cheeks reddened from the cold. The wind picked up again but Draco did a better job of making her feel warm than any cup of hot chocolate ever could.

"Always." With that, he leaned down to kiss her. Hermione stopped dancing and leaned into his arms, moving hers up to wrap around his neck. The touch of his tongue against her lips made a bolt of heat travel down her spine.

It was a perfect moment, one of those that she wished she could pause and live in forever.

"Hermione?" The voice was quiet with surprise, obviously female, definitely familiar. The moment shattered with a painful sound like breaking glass.


	28. Chapter 28

_"Hermione?" The voice was quiet with surprise, obviously female, definitely familiar. The moment shattered with a painful sound like breaking glass._

Hermione drew away from Draco slowly, the seconds passing in a haze. She felt like she was in a dream. Staring back at them were Ginny and Harry, their faces white. It occurred to Hermione that this was the part where she should jump away from Draco and say, "This isn't what it looks like" but she couldn't find it in herself to do it.

"This doesn't look like homework," Ginny said, breaking the silence with a sharp snap.

"Look, I—" Hermione paused, still trying to figure out what she wanted to say. Not that there was much she could say. One of her worst fears had been realized and there was no where to turn, no where to run. Under the rush of panic and shock there was an undertone of relief. At least now she could get this over with and she wouldn't have to sneak around anymore.

"No more lies." Ginny slipped out from under Harry's grip and stumbled forward a couple steps. "All those times you were studying or patrolling or heading down to the library, you were with _him_, weren't you?"

There was no point in trying to deny it. Hermione felt like a cornered animal, scared and defensive. She turned toward them, letting her arms fall to her sides. "Yes."

"And last weekend when you told us about Theo." Ginny's voice was flatter this time, resigned, but still angry. She looked like she wanted to keep moving forward but Harry's hand on her shoulder prevented her.

"That wasn't a lie!" The longer they stared at her, the more desperate she felt. She focused her eyes on Harry, silently pleading him to say something. He was focused at the ground and hadn't made a sound. "I really did run into him looking for Theo and he really did help me to find him." She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, like she was trying to keep herself from falling apart.

"But _Malfoy…_" Ginny spit out.

"Look," Draco said, his grip tightening a little around Hermione's waist. "I promise I would never hurt Hermione."

Ginny silenced him with a look that could have turned him to ice. "Oh, really? It's never stopped you before. What about when your aunt was _torturing_ her in front of you last year? What about in the Room of Requirement before your crony lit the whole place on fire?"

A pained expression crossed Draco's face and his grip slipped free a little, but Hermione didn't give him a chance to say anything more. "I'm sorry," she interrupted, bile rising in her throat. "I never told you because I wasn't sure how you'd react."

Ginny huffed. "Because you didn't think we'd approve of you making out with a _Death Eater?_ You know what, do whatever you want." She turned on her heel and stalked away. Harry looked up for the first time, his eyes focusing on Hermione's face. He didn't look angry or disappointed or surprised. He didn't look anything. Without saying a word, he followed his girlfriend.

Once they were out of sight, Hermione sagged against Draco, arms around his neck. "What are we going to do?" she groaned.

Draco tightened his arms around her. "I'm sorry. I should have said something. Done something."

"No." A cold wetness froze to Hermione's cheeks and she realized she was crying. "There wasn't anything you could have done. I should have told them a long time ago…"

They stood in silence, holding each other, until a cold wind kicked up behind them and Hermione pulled away. "I should probably go after them," she said, half to herself. "Explain. Alone." She didn't look up at Draco, didn't want to see the expression in his eyes.

"Okay." Draco pressed his lips against her forehead and let her go. "I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah. Talk to you later." Hermione turned and walked away, heading for the castle. She didn't turn around to see if Draco was following her, but from the lack of crunching footsteps in the snow she assumed he wasn't. It would be better if he didn't, but that didn't stop her from hoping just a little that he would.

Hermione broke into a run when she spotted Ginny and Harry making their way up the path to the castle. "Wait!" she yelled and they paused. Hermione wondered if it was more out of habit than an actual desire to talk to her right now.

"Look," Hermione said when she caught up to them. "Can we talk?"

"What is there to talk about?" Ginny snarled back. "It's obvious you've made your choice. There isn't anything left for us to discuss."

Hermione felt like she was seeing her entire life falling apart in front of her eyes. A few people were loitering behind them, most of them at least pretending not to be eavesdropping, and it hit her that, one way or another, the entire school would know about her and Draco before dinner. "I should have told you, I admit that," Hermione said. "But you have to believe me that I wouldn't go anywhere near Draco if I didn't really believe that he's changed."

Harry opened his mouth and Hermione felt a burst of hope that was immediately quashed when she realized what came out of it. "Did he curse you?"

"No!" Hermione couldn't believe that he would suggest that. "I swear. You can take me to the Aurors or Madame Pomfrey or St. Mungo's right now if you don't believe me." She wanted to shake them, wanted to make them see, but clenched her fists at her side instead.

"Hermione, you can't trust him. Trickery is what Malfoys do best," Ginny said.

Hermione wished she still had a Time Turner so that she could go back this morning and find some way of fixing this day without ripping a hole in the universe. "You don't think I can handle myself, is that it?"

Hermione expected her to soften and deny it, but instead Ginny drew herself up to full height—strangely impressive considering she was shorter than Hermione—and said, "Obviously not." Her tone was stone cold and it sent a bolt straight into Hermione's heart. "Now is that all? You're not the only one who has work to do."

Ginny turned around and sped off in a huff. Harry didn't look at her as he said, "I know that you can handle yourself but I hope you know what you're getting into." Before Hermione could reply, he was gone.

Hermione stayed in Hogsmeade for a couple hours, just wandering up and down the streets in the snow, before she finally went up to the castle. She occupied herself by going on patrol, keeping to the more isolated areas of the castle where she was less likely to run into someone. She couldn't get her friends' faces out of her head, or stop wondering if everyone was talking about her right now. It was past midnight by the time she wandered up to Gryffindor Tower for the night.

The common room, buzzing with a steady drone of noise, fell dead silent when she emerged from the portrait hole.

It wasn't much more crowded than the common room usually was this late on a Saturday night, but everyone did seem to be a little bit more embroiled in gossip rather than homework or games. She walked through the room one slow step at a people stopped to stare at her and others kept their eyes averted, the fact that they were still paying attention to her movements obvious by the fact that none of them moved or spoke.

Hermione paused with one foot up on the first stair, feeling like she needed to say something. "I haven't changed just because everyone knows who I'm dating," she whispered. "I'm still me."

Hermione stayed hiding behind the drapes around her bed until late the next morning. It was Sunday, her usual day of homework and relaxing. She had a feeling deep in her gut that said today wouldn't be much for relaxing.

When she was sure that everyone had already left the dormitory, she pushed the drapes aside and crawled out of bed to get dressed. There were only a few stragglers in the common room but they ignored her as she passed by. The tables in the Great Hall were still filled with people, including her usual seat by Harry and Ginny.

Hermione stared at her replacement—a younger boy who reminded her of Colin Creevey—and sat down at the very end of the table, as far as she could get from her fellow Gryffindors as possible. As she eats she couldn't stop glancing at Draco's empty seat, as if he might suddenly materialize there at any minute.

She was halfway through her plate when someone hissed down at her, "Why don't you go sit with the Slytherins?" and the girl's friends laughed. Hermione forced herself to ignore them, but it got harder as the whispers grew louder. She resisted the urge to cover her ears. How did anyone even have so much time on their hands that they could worry about her life instead of their own? When she could take it anymore, she stood and stormed out.

Her first destination was the library. She had an Ancient Runes translation that she needed to work on and a Transfiguration essay that she hadn't managed to start yet. She hid out at a back table and splayed her stuff in front of her. For a while she found the tranquility she'd been looking for. The library was quiet, with only the quiet rustling of books in the background, and her homework was a familiar process of research and note-taking.

That is, until someone stepped up next to her table and cleared their throat. Hermione looked up, expecting to see Draco or perhaps a friend. Instead it was just a young girl, probably fourth or fifth year, with a Hufflepuff patch on her robes. "Hermione, I just thought you should know that Slughorn has some really good remedies for love potions," she blurted out.

"I haven't taken a love potion," Hermione said, her voice tired.

"That's what my friend said when Jake slipped her one as a joke. Just…give it a shot." She hurried away, cackling. Hermione shook her head and leaned back in her chair, a headache brimming at her temples. Her concentration was shot after that, though she managed to make a little more progress on her homework.

It was shattered completely when a paper airplane swept down and landed on her desk. She knew instinctively that it wasn't from Draco—he would either send her a bird or just come in person. No, this was another joke. She wanted to throw it away but she unfolded it instead. _He must be a really good shag, huh? Do you think you can share? _

Hermione snarled at the parchment and tore it up into tiny pieces. Clearly the library wasn't much of a safe place anymore, so she stacked her books and headed out. She didn't want to go down to the Room, didn't want to see Draco right now. Not when she was fighting down an urge to hit something.

She followed quiet passageways and rickety staircases until she reached a small tower with a distinctly abandoned feel. Hermione leaned up against the wall and focused on her homework. It was too quiet here but at least there wasn't anyone around to bother her.

Well…almost no one.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs made Hermione brace herself against the wall. She curled up tighter, as if whoever it was wouldn't notice her sitting there if she made herself as small as possible. She only relaxed when Luna came around the corner and revealed herself.

"Hey, Luna." Hermione tried to put a spark in her voice but she just couldn't. She was exhausted and upset and despite the fact that Luna was smiling at her she didn't know how much more she could take. Luna was the one who had encouraged her to tell her friends about Draco, even if she didn't know who she'd been talking about the whole time. Her refusal of their relationship would be the final straw.

Luna kneeled down next to her. She was wearing a fluffy pale yellow dress with a pure black feather tucked behind one ear. "I just wanted to let you know, I'm on your side. I know you didn't mention any names before but I also know that you seemed like you really loved whoever you were talking about. I think that you can see something in Malfoy that the rest of us can't." She paused. "Or don't want to."

Hermione remembered how ragged Luna had seemed when they'd escaped Malfoy Manor. How long she'd been kept there. At the same time, she thought about what Luna's dad had tried to do in order to get her back, and realized that she knew a lot about what people could do for family. "Thank you," Hermione said.

"Everyone will come around." Luna smiled and flounced back down the stairs. Hermione watched her go, wishing that she had half of the younger girl's conviction. After that she couldn't stop thinking long enough to focus. She'd never felt this alone, not when she was known as the brainiac kid before she'd come to Hogwarts. Not when the magical occurrences had started to build up and no one else understood. Not when she'd come to Hogwarts and been branded as the know-it-all, an outsider until she bonded with Harry and Ron over their defeat of the troll.

Now she was like Draco, hated and forced into the outsides of society. It made her wonder how he found the courage to come back. Was there some part of him that was glad that she'd been exiled like him, that was satisfied that she could experience first-hand how he felt every day? And where was he right now, why hadn't he tried to contact her? She pulled out the battered piece of parchment just to make sure but it was clean—no new messages. Was he avoiding her? Did he think that was what she wanted right now?

Her thoughts occupied her for most of the afternoon. She skipped lunch and dinner before she realized that she had to see Draco. Hermione had come to the conclusion that it didn't matter if she thought he was glad or not, they were both in this together.

She ran down the stairs and took a secret passage through to just down the hall from the Room. He was waiting for her inside, hovering over a plate of sandwiches resting on the coffee table. He took one look at her and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Hermione just tightened her grip on him. From here she could see a bruise blooming along the edge of his jaw but she wasn't ready to ask him about it and end these few moments. Now that his arms were around her, she felt like maybe everything could be okay. "Everyone will come around," she replied, repeating Luna's words without a bit of her belief in them.

Draco pushed her away a bit, holding her out at arm's length to search the expression on her face. His mouth was tight as he said, "Hermione, maybe it would be better if we didn't see each other anymore."


	29. Chapter 29

_Draco pushed her away a bit, holding her out at arm's length to search the expression on her face. His mouth was tight as he said, "Hermione, maybe it would be better if we didn't see each other anymore."_

Hermione felt sure that she'd heard wrong. With everything crashing down around her—her friends refusing to speak to her, everyone gossiping behind her back—he couldn't really be suggesting that they end the only thing that still made her feel better. "What?" Hermione said.

"I think it would be easier if we…" Draco's voice was flat, matter-of-fact. It sounded like he was about to rattle off a list of Potions ingredients. Only the way that his silver eyes were looking anywhere but hers said differently.

"No." Hermione tightened her grip on his shoulders. "Please don't do this to me."

"Hermione, all I've done in my life is hurt others. I don't want to keep hurting you." He swallowed hard. "Maybe if we end things now you'll be able to go back to your friends. This place will go back to normal."

"Draco no matter what happens everyone knows about us. They're not going to forget it just because we broke up. I don't know what I would do without…" She pressed her face into his shoulder, leaving enough space so he could still hear her speak. "I don't want to give this up just because other people don't like it. I'm in it for the long haul. Are you?"

Draco reached up and pushed the hair back out of her face. She leaned back and looked up into his eyes. The pain and the longing there took her breath away. "I just can't stand to see you hurting like this. I've always been the outskirts, but you…you have your friends. I don't want to take that away from you." Fear flickered into his eyes and Hermione realized that she knew about the lingering resentment that she felt toward him in the loss of her friends.

"Let me worry about what I want. They already made their choice. And so did I." She reached up and pressed a feather light kiss to his lips. "If I'm going to hate anyone for that, it's going to be myself. Besides, it's not my or your fault no one else can see what I see. We'll just have to prove them wrong."

A tiny smile pricked at the corners of Draco's lips as he reached down to kiss her again. When they finally came up for air, Hermione found herself stretched across the couch with Draco on his side next to her.

"What happened to your face?" Hermione asked as she trailed her fingertips over the bruise.

Draco's eyes hardened. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Doesn't look like nothing." Hermione stared at him expectantly. She was sure she knew where the bruise came from but she also knew that she wanted Draco to be the one to explain it. There was a deep part of her that was still waiting for him to stop being honest with her, for him to turn back into the lying bastard that she'd known all those years. It was a dark part and not one she wanted to admit existed, but it was there all the same.

"Fight." He snorted. "Obviously. It was about you, in case you were wondering if it's just a coincidence." His tone was rough with anger and sarcasm. It was the most he sounded like his old self in a long time.

Hermione reached up and kissed the bruise. "They'll find something else to talk about. There are more important things going on in the world. And we can all get on with our lives."

"Nothing I haven't dealt with before." Draco sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I have to admit the company is a lot nicer this time around. And prettier."

Hermione felt that same spike of worry, the one that brought up thoughts like _What if he's happy that all this is happening? _It went all the way to the point where she began to wonder if he knew her friends would find them, but she nipped that one in the bud. It was _her_ idea to go to Hogsmeade and there was no way for either of them to know that Harry and Ginny would wander down to the Shrieking Shack. She shook her head, trying to knock the doubts right out of her brain.

"Are you okay?" The sarcasm softened right out of his voice and he sounded like the Draco she knew and liked. He leaned down until he was resting his head on her shoulder and she could run her fingers through his hair. The warmth of him beside her was comforting and she felt exhausted, lack of sleep from the night before finally catching up with her.

It should have been an easy question to answer, but the more Hermione thought about it the more she realized she didn't know what to say. "I'm fine now," she finally replied. "It's just been a long day. Why didn't you talk to me until I came here?" Her voice was low and hurt.

"I figured you'd rather be left alone." His voice was little more than a whisper now.

Hermione reached down and placed a kiss in his hair. She knew deep down that she had wanted to be left alone, but it would have been nice to know that he was there and thinking of her. "Next time, let me make that decision."

"Okay." They stayed silent for so long that Hermione fell into a doze. She could feel Draco's deep breaths and she knew that he'd fallen asleep. The rhythm of it drew the tension out of her muscles and before she knew it, she was gone too.

It was around two in the morning when Hermione slipped out from Draco's hands. The soft expression on his face and the way his hands reached for her when she stood up tugged at her heartstrings. She wanted to stay—wished she could stay—but she knew that it would be better if she went to her own bed, if only because it would make it easier for her to get ready for class.

The halls were eerily silent and the common room abandoned. She had to admit it was nice, the quiet, without the constant worry of running into someone or hearing insults whispered by people that she used to consider friends.

Her bed felt cold and empty as she climbed between the sheets but she was still so tired that she fell asleep immediately anyway. Hermione woke up as usual with more than enough time to get ready for class. Everyone still in the dormitory was fast asleep but Ginny was gone.

She stayed hidden behind her drapes for a few minutes, jotting down a message to Draco. _Good morning. Because I can't be there to wake you up in person, I'm sending you this to make sure you get to class. Someone has to read out the instructions to our potions. _Once Hermione finished, she took the time to fold the parchment into the perfect shape of a bird and blew it into the air.

She rushed to get ready, ate her breakfast so fast that her stomach hurt, and went straight down to the dungeons for Potions class. The classroom was empty of students but Slughorn was there, feet propped up on his desk and a book in his hands.

"Ms. Granger," he said when she walked in. "Everything all right?" He looked straight at her when he said it and smiled.

It felt nice to have someone say something without a bit of sarcasm or disgust. "Everything is fine. I just…didn't want to sit around."

"Ah." Slughorn's eyes turned back to his book.

Hermione glanced from her chair at the front of the room to the one next to Draco that usually sat empty. It shouldn't have been a difficult decision, but it was. She felt like she was being asked to choose between her best friend and her boyfriend. Like she was being torn right down the middle. Maybe that would even be better. At least then she could have both.

She slipped into the chair at the back of the room and when Draco slid in next to her just before class started, she knew she made the right choice. People stared at them as they entered. It was one thing to hear the rumors, and quite another to see them sitting together. Draco reached over and took her hand. Hermione smiled back at him, squeezing his hand back in response. As soon as class started, they set to work on their potion and the rest of the room just faded away.

"How are you doing?" Draco murmured to her.

_I've had better days _froze on Hermione's lips when she saw Draco's concerned face. "I'm doing well," she replied, even trying to put a smile into it. She even felt better, now that she had the potion and Draco to occupy her.

"I missed you when I woke up this morning." He stroked his fingers over her wrist as she reached across him for the fluxweed. "I never would have made it to class without that letter. My bed's enchanted to wake me up if I oversleep but…well…"

"It only works if you're in it," Hermione finished with a smile. "I had to go back if I wanted to be ready on time. You know that."

"Doesn't mean I didn't miss you." His eyes smoldered when she met his gaze and she had to look away quickly. Even though everyone knew about the two of them, she thought it best if they kept the PDA to a minimum. And if he kept looking at her like that, she didn't think she could stop herself.

When the initial instructions were finished there was nothing to do but sit and wait for the potion to simmer for a half hour before they could continue. Hermione bent over her Potions book, reading ahead in the instructions to make sure they had everything they needed.

Unnoticed by the two, a boy passed by their desk on the way back from the cupboards. He brushed his arm over the edge of their cauldron, letting a pair of flobberworms slide out of his sleeve and down into the frothing liquid.

By the time it started to take effect, he was already back at his desk.

"Did you add something else?" Draco asked, frowning at the cauldron. The liquid inside had turned a rather unpleasant shade of bright pink instead of the soft green it was supposed to be. "This doesn't look right."

"I've been sitting right here," Hermione replied. She stood up and give it an experimental stir. A thick mist rose from the cauldron, thickening the air.

"Everyone evacuate the room immediately," Slughorn shouted over the violent hissing that was now rising from the mist. Hermione covered her mouth with her sleeve and squinted through the fog as everyone pushed and shoved their way toward the door.

Once they were all safely outside and the door was sealed to keep the mist from escaping, Slughorn said, "Class dismissed. You'll just have to try the potion again next time. Unfortunately this mist that was let off is highly toxic and it's going to take some time to clear." People chattered excitedly at this news as they headed up the passageway. Hermione was just about to follow them when she heard Slughorn speak again behind them. "Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger. I'd like you stay here a minute."

"Professor Slughorn?" Hermione said questioningly as she hung back. "What is it?"

"I know that it was your potion that caused this—" he began.

Hermione hurried to explain, cutting him off. "Professor we didn't—"

"You didn't let me finish, Ms. Granger," he scolded her, wagging his finger at her. "I know that it was your potion that caused this but I also know that it wasn't your fault. The ingredients that combine to form this sort of mist aren't even on the list for this potion and shouldn't have been in use at all. Did you see anything that might have set it off?"

Hermione looked to Draco, straining her brain to remember something. She'd been so focused on her book, she hadn't really been paying attention. The potion hadn't needed to be checked for at least another ten minutes. "I didn't see anything, Professor."

"I…" Draco's forehead scrunched together. "I remember someone walking past our desk just before it happened. They went to get ingredients. But that's all. A boy, but I couldn't say who."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. I will do my best to find who did this and make sure they are appropriately punished for it. If it was just a harmless prank, it was a very dangerous one. If not…well, you all know just as well as I." He sighed as he turned back to his classroom door. "You may go. If you remember anything else, let me know. Otherwise I'll see you both in class next time."

"Yes, sir," Hermione and Draco murmured together as they turned to head away.

"What do you think happened?" Hermione asked once they were out of earshot of the classroom. "I've never seen anything like that before. Not even the time Crabbe and Goyle melted their cauldron or when Seamus's exploded…"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe that guy I saw dropped something into it."

"Why?"

He reached down and threaded his fingers through hers. As she looked down at their clasped hands, she knew he didn't need to answer. Hermione started to shake with anger but there was nowhere to direct it. She couldn't take on the whole school, no matter how much she wanted to, and they had no idea who might have tampered with their potion. For now, she was just going to have to ride out the storm.

As they turned the corner, a familiar face was waiting for them.

"Harry," Hermione burst out in surprise.

Harry frowned as he glanced at their clasped hands before his eyes focused on her face. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. It was your potion and well…Slughorn…" He shifted his weight back and forth nervously.

"I'm fine. No harm done. Slughorn just wanted to know if we had any idea how it happened." Hermione smiled at him, but he didn't return the gesture.

"Okay…well…good." He glanced at their hands again. "Just wanted to make sure." Harry turned away and hurried down the passageway. Hermione felt an urge to call after him but she wasn't sure what else she had to say. If any of them wanted to come back into her life, they were going to have to prove it to her.

"Come on," she said to Draco. "If we hurry we can grab lunch before most people show up."

It seemed that everyone from their Potions class and anyone who had free period then had the same idea. The Great Hall was fuller than she expected, but not what it normally was. She dropped into a seat at the end of the Gryffindor table and Draco slid slowly into the seat next to her, like he thought it was going to burn him.

"What classes do you have today?" Hermione asked, trying to break the silence. "Draco?"

He was staring down the table at a copy of the _Daily Prophet. _She followed his gaze and her breath caught in her throat at the headline.


	30. Chapter 30

_He was staring down the table at a copy of the Daily Prophet. She followed his gaze and her breath caught in her throat at the headline._

_Three Dead in Death Eater Attack on Muggle Shopping Centre_

Hermione reached across the table and snatched it away so that she could read the article. _An attack by Death Eaters on a Muggle shopping centre in London left three Muggles dead and unknown others injured. It is believed that at least four Death Eaters were involved in the attack, but they fled the scene before Aurors arrived. Muggle press reports that the disaster was the result of a gas leak within the building. _

"I know this shopping centre. We used to go there when I was a kid." Heart in her throat, she skimmed the rest of the article for familiar names and sagged with relief when nothing rang a bell.

"They're getting bolder," Draco said, leaning over her shoulder to read. "Banding together."

Hermione nodded and tossed the paper back down the table. "I wish there was something we could do. I hate feeling helpless like this."

"Me too." Draco rubbed his thumb in circles on the back of her hand.

For the next few hours, everywhere Hermione went she heard people talking about the Death Eaters. She heard that a fourth Muggle had died, that Aurors had multiple suspects but hadn't captured anyone, and that all the security cameras anywhere near the shopping centre had been knocked out.

That worried Hermione more than anything. It showed great knowledge of the shopping centre and premeditation. Wizards didn't use security cameras, they used magic. So why would Death Eaters think to take them out?

"I think I might drop out of Hogwarts and join Cirque du Soleil," Draco said, dragging Hermione out of her thoughts.

"What?" Hermione ripped her gaze away from the rivers she was drawing in her mashed potatoes. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking."

"I could tell." Draco reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear. Someone wolf-whistled. They ignored them. "Where were you?"

Hermione sat down her fork. "I can't stop thinking about the Death Eaters and what they're up to. Is this all just random? Is there some sort of communication system, like the Dark Marks?" Draco flexed his arm unconsciously. "Why that place? Is it a coincidence that it's so close to home for me? How did they know to take out the surveillance cameras?"

"Your family is safe," Draco murmured.

"You can't promise that." Hermione pushed her plate. "I don't think I'm all that hungry. Meet me when you're done?"

"Of course." Draco smiled up at her as she pushed out of the seat. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, that's all right. You finish eating." She hurried out of the Great Hall.

Someone tapped her shoulder as she stepped through the doors. Hermione turned, expecting out of habit that it was just someone who needed the help of the Head Girl. It was a little Ravenclaw girl, probably a second year, with bright red curls and an extreme amount of freckles.

"Who are the Death Eaters that attacked the shopping centre this morning?" she asked.

"I'm sorry. I don't know." Hermione tried to smile but she was starting to realize that this girl wasn't looking for a Head Girl. She was looking for Draco's girlfriend.

"You haven't bothered to ask your boyfriend?" The Ravenclaw's voice dripped with sarcasm, but underneath it was an undertone of pain.

"He's not a Death Eater. Not anymore." Hermione tried to push past her but the girl's voice followed her down the hall.

"My sister is in the hospital because of them!" she shouted. "In a coma and we don't know if she'll ever wake up. I want to know who did it to her."

Hermione kept going, tears pricking at the back of her eyes and rolling down her cheeks the moment she was around the corner and out of sight of the Hall. Would people like the Ravenclaw girl and her questions always haunt her and Draco? Either because of his past or her reputation?

When they looked at him, all they saw was a Death Eater, someone who caused pain and destruction In her, they saw someone who ended it, a hero who knew all the answers. She barely noticed where she was going, only realizing that she made it to the Room when she stood outside of its door.

The Room was soft and comforting. The walls were a warm brown color, with thin waterfalls rolling down them and draining into the floor. The whole place smelled like books, orchids, and a touch of vanilla.

"Um, can I get some place to sit?" Hermione asked tentatively.

The floor twisted and provided a tan suede couch that she promptly collapsed on top of. She wanted more than anything in the world to be able to give that Ravenclaw girl some answers, but it was impossible. It was different in Voldemort's day, when the Death Eaters were organized and strictly ruled. Now they were broken apart, lashing out like animals, and no one knew if it was old Death Eaters looking for revenge or new ones looking for their shred of limelight.

The door creaked open and Draco entered, his face ashen. He thrust a letter into Hermione's hands before she could ask what was wrong.

_My beloved son, _

_I have a little bit of time at the Manor, so I'm taking advantage of it to send you this letter. Please don't answer, I don't know when I'll be called away again and we can't risk the mail being intercepted. Things are getting more desperate. There are shadows and spies everywhere. I need you to keep an ear to the ground with your fellow students. If you hear anything that might help us to find the attackers, please report it. _

_I'm sorry that we brought you into all this. I'm sorry that I went along with it. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I'm going to do it right this time around, I promise. Don't let the years of mistakes destroy the rest of your life. _

_I love you, _

_Narcissa _

Hermione handed the letter silently back to Draco and he folded it up and shoved it in his pocket. She moved over, waiting for him to join her on the couch, but he remained standing, eyes fixed on the floor.

She stood up and pulled him into her arms. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

"It's my fault. She couldn't protect me and I couldn't protect her." Draco's voice was broken and even though he wasn't crying, he sounded close to it.

"No." Hermione held him tighter. "It wasn't your fault. It was Voldemort's fault for starting it all and it was your father's fault for going along with it. Your mother went along with it because of him and you were never given a chance."

"I was given a chance. I was given a hundred chances. I could have fought, I could have been as strong as you and Harry and Ron and all the others. I just…they were all I really had." He slipped out of her arms and sat down on the couch, pulling her down next to him.

"We can't choose our family," Hermione whispered, resting her head on top of his. "You are strong. You're fighting _now_ and that's what counts the most. You're going to get out from under them. Look at how far you've come."

"How far _we've_ come." He reached up and threaded his fingers through hers. "I'm scared for her. What if something happens?"

Hermione felt like she'd been kicked in the chest. There had been a moment when she went to find her parents that she worried she would never find them, that she would never see them again. And for Draco, if he lost his mother, that wasn't a chance. It was a reality.

"Narcissa is smart. She didn't survive the War for nothing. She knows Death Eaters and she knows how to handle herself. For you, she'll survive."

Draco stayed quiet for a moment before he said, "My dad never wanted me to come here, you know. He had big plans for me to go to Durmstrang, but my mom put her foot down. She said it was because they both went to Hogwarts and because Durmstrang was so far away. But now…I don't think she wanted that for me, the Dark Arts, I mean. Dad always expected me to follow in his footsteps and I thought that's what Mom wanted, too.

"Dad didn't take it well. He wasn't used to being defied and well…he thought that she would agree. He never hit her, no, he really did love her too much for that. But they fought, all the time. Threw things. I would cower under the table. But all that time, she refused to give in. Finally, Dad agreed: I would go to Hogwarts."

"Maybe I should thank her. I'm glad that you came here."

"I'm glad, too." Draco trailed his fingers up and down her arm, lost in thought for a moment. "Thank you."

Hermione's eyes drifted closed as all the tension melted out of her body. "For what?"

"This." He didn't elaborate and Hermione didn't need him to. She wanted to freeze this moment right here, Draco in her arms and the smell of orchids wafting around them and the sound of the water trickling down.

Half an hour later, Hermione bolted awake to the realization that she still had Transfiguration and Ancient Runes that afternoon. Draco looked so calm that she didn't want to wake him up, but there were classes and she couldn't feel her arm. She nudged him until he woke.

When he looked up at her and smiled, she almost forgot what she had awakened him for. "I have to go to class. Do you?"

Draco sat up, glancing over her shoulder at what she assumed was a clock. "I have Anatomy in ten minutes." He leaned over and kissed her hard. "Maybe you can teach me instead."

Hermione pushed him away, laughing. "Go to class. I'll see you at dinner."

"As you wish." Draco kissed her once more and pushed himself off the couch. "You know, I think I like this room. We should ask for it more often."

Hermione chuckled. "Come on. I'll walk with you." She took his hand and, for the first time, they wandered down the familiar halls together. For those few minutes, Hermione felt like a normal couple. She was just a girl walking with her boyfriend on his way to class before heading off to her own. She knew that the moment couldn't last, but it was nice to be in it

Hermione normally loved her classes, but they dragged by all afternoon. She took her usual seat at the front of the room and immediately everyone left a buffer between them and her, like they thought "Death Eater" was a disease and if they got too close they might catch it.

She tried not to let it bother her, but after hours of avoidance and whispers in what should have been a relatively normal class time, she was down to her last nerve. She tried to reassure herself that this couldn't last, that eventually everyone would move on and she could get on with her life. It didn't make things any easier.

Hermione managed to hold it together through dinner and an afternoon of patrolling. Things were quiet, the new Death Eater attack putting everyone on their guard again. She caught a couple of first-years trying to break into the corridor where Fluffy used to live—now barricaded and left abandoned—and sent the Bloody Baron to stop Peeves from writing nasty messages in spray paint on the ceiling of the Great Hall. In other words, as normal an afternoon as things could get around Hogwarts.

It was late and she was tired by the time she stumbled through the portrait hole and into the Gryffindor common room. She'd allowed herself to hope that things might be able to resume a semblance of normalcy in the wake of the Death Eater attacks—or at least people would talk about more important things—but she was wrong.

The first words Hermione heard were, "I heard she sat next to him in Potions today. You know, she usually sits next to Harry but not this time."

Then in a boy's voice, "I saw her walking with him to class. Holding hands and everything. That must be one powerful curse."

She froze, hiding just inside the passage. They hadn't noticed her coming through, not yet. As long as no one came in behind her she should be fine. She felt sick, eavesdropping on this, but at the same time she couldn't make herself move forward to interrupt.

A young girl's voice, probably a first-year, continued, "My friend swore she saw them coming out of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, Draco's hair sticking up everywhere and Hermione with her skirt on backwards."

Fury, scalding and loud, surged through her and she shoved through the portrait hole in one smooth move and landed on her feet. "Is that _all_ you people can talk about?" she snapped, not even caring what she said anymore. "None of it matters. It's not _affecting _your life so just leave me and Draco alone. There are people dying out there, families who will never see their loved ones again, and all you can think about is who I'm hanging out with.

"Some of you blame me because I'm dating a Death Eater, but let me get something straight, Draco didn't attack that shopping centre and it could have been my parents there today that were killed. It could have been my friends, my family. It _has been _my friends and family." She paused, breathing hard like she'd just sprinted a lap around the castle. The entire common room stared at her, their eyes wide and their faces pale. "So get a life and leave me to live mine."

She whirled through the room and pounded up the stairs before they could see her cry. The attack, the letter, the rumors…it was all almost more than she could take.


	31. Chapter 31

_She whirled through the room and pounded up the stairs before they could see her cry. The attack, the letter, the rumors…it was all almost more than she could take._

News of Hermione's words in the Gryffindor common room spread through the school, strangely enough calming down the rumors. People still stared and whispered as she passed by with Draco, but they didn't approach and they didn't try to force love potion remedies on her. That was definitely a plus.

Outside of the castle, the fear only grew stronger. New attacks were reported every day, though nothing as large-scale as the shopping centre. Hermione was dying to hear news from Ron, but she knew that he would have heard about her relationship by now and she didn't want to hear his refusal of her too. She would have asked Ginny or Harry, but she rarely saw them except in the Great Hall and then they were always surrounded by people. The fact that she couldn't ask about the safety of one of her best friends just because her other best friends were no longer speaking to her cut Hermione to the quick. Times of trouble used to be what brought them all back together, even when the friendships between them were in shambles.

Hermione had started to settle down, figuring that people might finally be leaving her alone, until one night she turned back her covers and caught sight of a snake hiding underneath. The snake was plastic but she didn't know that until after she tried to curse it into oblivion, leaving a black blob of melted plastic in the middle of her bed.

She clenched her jaw to keep from growling in anger. These were her friends, the people she'd supported and tried to protect. Now their only reply was to passive-aggressively punish her for something that really wasn't any of their business in the first place.

Hermione cleaned it up with a flick of her wand, but she couldn't get rid of the acrid smell that hung in the air. She tossed and turned for hours, trying every spell she could think of to get rid of the smell, but nothing worked. Not even when she made her wand produce a gentle tropical breeze.

In the end, she pushed herself out of bed, pulled on her cloak over her pajamas, and snuck out. She was thankful to find the common room abandoned and the halls silent.

When she reached the Room of Requirement, she asked for the room with the waterfalls but with a bed this time. The door appeared and she stepped inside.

The bed was perfectly soft and already warm. She climbed between the sheets and dropped her head to the pillow. With the trickling water and the smell of orchids surrounding her, she drifted right off to sleep.

The next night Hermione found the dorms too quiet for sleep. It was a strange feeling, since she was surrounded by girls that mumbled and shifted in their sleep. She couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't belong there anymore, that she was growing accustomed to the isolation. Hermione didn't want them to think they'd chased her away—she didn't want to give them the satisfaction—but neither could she stand being stuck there anymore. Her friends had quit bothering her directly, and now they were just acting like she wasn't even there. Hermione couldn't decide which one was worse.

She found her way easily to the Room of Requirement, snatching up a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ crumpled in the halls along the way. Newspaper in front of her, she stretched across the bed and skimmed the articles.

The door creaked open and Hermione shot up, hand reaching for her wand out of habit. She lowered it with a sigh of relief as Draco stepped inside.

"Sorry," he said as he made his way across the room. "I didn't know you were here or I would have warned you I was coming."

"I couldn't sleep. Not in the dormitory." She moved over on the bed to give him space and he climbed up, settling on his stomach next to her. The newspaper rustled as she shared it with him. "Found this in the hall outside. Thought it might be worth taking a look."

"Anything good?" he asked.

Hermione turned to see if he was finished looking over the page so she could turn it. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized his eyes were fixed on her. "I wouldn't say _good. _There aren't any new attacks, though, but that worries me more than anything. They could be building up to something big."

Draco made a low noise in his throat that sounded like a growl. He pushed away the newspaper and, before she knew it, his lips were on hers.

They'd been so caught up in news about the Death Eaters, homework, and dealing with the aftermath of their relationship reveal that they hadn't had much time for each other over the past few days. It felt right, this, Draco kissing her and her hands around his neck. Everything else just faded away.

Hours later, Hermione and Draco curled up under the covers, her head resting on his chest so that she could hear his heart beating.

"We should probably be getting back," Draco murmured. "It's late." His eyes were already closed and his normally stressed face completely relaxed.

Hermione snuggled deeper under the covers. "Can't sleep up there. I've been staying here for a couple nights now." She played with the sleeve of his shirt pushed up around his upper arm. "Will you stay with me?"

"Always."

Hermione glanced up at his closed eyes, feeling his deep breaths in sleep. She pushed aside her questions of whether he actually heard what she'd asked, and closed her eyes.

In the morning, Hermione opened her eyes to sunlight streaming through the windows and Draco's face watching her. The light made him look like he was glowing.

"Why are there windows?" Hermione asked.

"Good morning to you, too." Draco chuckled and then shrugged. "The Room must have made them at some point in the night. I didn't ask for them."

She scrunched her nose at him. Hermione couldn't ever remember feeling more content than she did in that moment, waking up next to him. The realization that she wouldn't mind doing this again—over and over again, in fact—hit her like a punch to the stomach. How quickly things could change.

"What's wrong?" Draco reached over and pushed her hair back from her face. Hermione jerked a little, realizing she must have gotten lost in her thoughts.

"Nothing." She smiled up at him. "Everything's perfect." It was a word that was far from accurate, but in that moment Hermione felt like it was true. She couldn't remember feeling more thankful for a Saturday. No classes, and homework could wait for a few more hours.

"I don't know about you, but I'm starving. How about I sneak down to the kitchens and see if I can steal something for breakfast?" Draco kissed her quickly before tossing off the covers.

"Sounds like a great use of that Slytherin cunning." She sat up for another kiss. "I think I'll stay here. I have a couple letters that I need to write. As soon as possible."

"All right." He picked his crumpled robes up off the floor and pulled them over his clothes, wrinkled from sleeping in them. "I'll be right back."

As soon as he was gone, Hermione reached over the side of the bed for her bag, pulling out a couple sheets of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink.

She started with the easier of the two: a letter to Ron.

_Ron—_

_I don't know if you'll read this but_

_I know you've probably heard about me and _

_I heard about the attack of the Death Eaters on the shopping centre. I hope you catch them, and soon. There's just something that's been bothering me ever since I heard about it. Someone said that the surveillance cameras were knocked out before the attack. Why would Death Eaters think to take those out? They were targeting those Muggles and in a way that they didn't want to be caught, even by Muggle means. If they were magical protections I could understand but this is just strange. Do you think it's possible that they could have had a Muggle working with them, or someone familiar with Muggle customs? Maybe just a half-blood who lived in the Muggle world for some time. It's just a thought. I want to be able to help any way that I can, even if I'm not working in the Auror office. _

_I hope you're well, _

_Hermione _

She bit at her fingernails, staring down at the letter. It was hard to know what to say to him, especially knowing that he could just throw the letter away. She didn't want to think about that, but with the way Harry and Ginny were reacting to her relationship she didn't know if she could expect anything better from Ron. She thought about adding a few lines about her relationship, if there was a way she could just _explain, _but there really wasn't anything that she could say. And he might be more likely to take the letter seriously if she kept it professional and to the point. Or she hoped that was true, anyway. If it was something that could help then she was willing to give it a shot.

The next letter was strangely harder. She wasn't used to writing to her parents by owl post, but there wasn't really any other way to communicate with them. Her mom hated it, ever since one memorable evening the summer after their first year when Errol had crashed into their living room window as they all sat around watching television.

_Dear Mum and Dad—_

_I know that you hate owl post and I'm sorry, but I really needed to be able to ask you something and I couldn't think of any other way to do it. __There's a guy in my year__ I have a friend and he's kind of stuck at school this Christmas. __His name is__ I was wondering if maybe I could bring him home to stay with us? __His family is__ He doesn't have anywhere else to go. I know that I promised that we'd have this Christmas for the three of us, especially after __the past couple years__ all that's happened, but I don't want to leave him alone. __I can't tell you a lot about him in case this letter is intercepted, but he means a lot to me.__ Please? _

_All my love to both of you, _

_Hermione _

It took a few crumpled pieces of parchment, but she finally managed to write something that she felt that she could send. She didn't know what drove her so strongly to invite Draco to come home with her for Christmas, all she knew was that she really wanted him to. She'd wait to get permission from her parents and then she'd ask him, just in case they said no.

Her heart bounced at the idea of having Draco inside her house, showing him the town the way she saw it. Hermione tried not to think about how he would feel about their Muggle customs and Muggle lifestyle, or what her parents would think if they found out anything. Even she wasn't sure just how much her parents knew (or suspected) about the War and everything that had gone on. The idea of them figuring out Draco's past terrified her but, at the same time, this was also a possibility to introduce him to people who didn't have any idea who he was. That wasn't a chance that came along every day, especially for someone like Draco Malfoy.

Speaking of Draco…Hermione stared worriedly at the door as she rolled up the parchment and stuck it into her bag to send later. He really was taking a long time getting back from the kitchens.

She was starting to push herself off the bed, wondering if maybe she should go look for him, when Draco burst through the door, his hands empty.

"Hey, did you lose your way to the kitchens?" Hermione joked, the laugh dying in her throat when her eyes met his. His entire face was white. "What…what's going on?" She leaned against the edge of the bed.

"Ran into Blaise on the way there," he said, voice hollow and dark. "He was laughing at me, but then he got serious when he realized that I didn't know what he was talking about. Said he was sorry. Gave me this." He pulled a newspaper out from behind his back. His hands were shaking too badly for Hermione to focus enough to read the headlines. "My mom's fine and everything, it's not that. I think. It's…Hermione…" He stumbled across the floor and leaned against her. "My house…my home. It's gone."

The headline stood out at her, black and taunting: _Malfoy Manor Destroyed by Death Eaters. _There was a picture, the once beautiful home reduced to a scattered pile of rubble. Blackened beams and bits of wall still stood, like a tossed the paper aside, reaching out and pulling Draco towards her. She settled down on the bed with him next to her, his head resting on her shoulder.

"I wasn't really fond of the place, especially after everything that happened there—" Hermione suppressed a brief shudder "—but it was the only home I had."

She twined his fingers with his, rubbing circles on the back of his hand with her thumb. "I'm sorry. Your mum's all right, though?"

He nodded. "She wasn't there. No one was." Draco laughed, but the sound was hollow and strangled. "My dad always loved to keep peacocks on the grounds. I never quite understood why, but when I was young I loved to try to chase them. They didn't like that but it never bothered me. Now even those damn birds are gone—dead, actually, the Death Eaters killed them. I guess it was because my family wasn't around."

Hermione didn't now what to say. She twisted a little to look closer at the article, squinting a little to make out the small print. "It says they caught one of the guys."

"Yeah. Not a name I recognize, I don't think he was a Death Eater in the War. Not that it means much that they caught him, because the rest of them got away. They're still out there, waiting. Probably looking for Mum."

They fell back onto the bed, wrapped up in each others' arms. Hermione felt her throat tightening up even as she continued to try to comfort Draco. If Malfoy Manor, with all of its protective spells and enchantments and years of practiced security wasn't safe, then what was?


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, or reviewed! Just a quick warning that I'm going back to school this weekend and so I might have to slow down at times. Even so, I'm still going to shoot for a new chapter every Monday. **

_They fell back onto the bed, wrapped up in each others' arms. Hermione felt her throat tightening up even as she continued to try to comfort Draco. If Malfoy Manor, with all of its protective spells and enchantments and years of practiced security wasn't safe, then what was?_

In the end, hunger drove Hermione back out of bed. "I'm going to get some food?" It came out more like a question in an attempt to ask the one she couldn't: _Are you going to be okay? _

Draco grinned at her half-heartedly. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that, sorry. Can you get me something?"

"Of course." She leaned over and kissed him, reaching down into her bag at the same time to grab the letters and stuff them under her robes. She didn't really care if he knew she was writing to Ron, but she wanted to keep the letter to her parents a secret, at least until she received their reply. "I'll be back soon."

She weaved up the staircases and down the passageways until she made it to the tight spiral all the way up into the Owlery. When Hermione reached the top landing and stepped in, she was surprised to find she wasn't alone.

"Hi," Ginny blurted out, her eyebrows raised with surprise. Errol rested on her forearm, his eyes half-closed in that familiar sleepy way.

"Hey," Hermione replied. She shifted her eyes to the rafters to distract herself from Ginny, scanning the rows of owls for a couple of the school's that she could use. A deep sense of discomfort rattled her bones, mixed with the constant reminder that this was one of her best friends and she shouldn't feel this way about her.

Ginny sighed as she attached a letter to Errol's leg, working in silence. Hermione coaxed down a barn owl that she recognized, a little female that had taken a liking to her a few years ago.

"How…how is everyone?" Hermione asked as she attached the letter to Ron. It felt weird, knowing that she was writing to Ginny's brother while she was _right there. _Hermione's fingers shook a little as she fumbled with the letter.

"They're fine." Ginny gently tossed Errol out the window and watched him soar away. "Mom's worried, of course. Ron's chasing Death Eaters and not having much luck. Percy is back at home and trying not to be a prat."

Hermione let a smile creep to her face as she watched her barn owl fly out the window. She expected Ginny to be gone by the time she turned around, but she was still there, trying not to lean against the stone wall. "Good. I'm glad."

Ginny's eyes stayed on her as Hermione encouraged a snowy owl down from its perch to accept the letter to her parents. She hoped that choosing an owl similar to Hedwig would calm her parents when it burst into their house. She felt awkward in Ginny's presence and wished that if her former friend had something to say, she would just say it.

"How are you?" Ginny asked as Hermione made her way gingerly across the floor. Small animal bones cracked underneath her every step and she tried to shut out the noise.

It was a loaded question and Hermione wasn't sure how to answer. Her friends were barely even speaking to her, people were still talking about things that weren't any of their business behind her back, and the Death Eaters were still a constant threat. How was she supposed to put any of that into words? "Good. I'm good," she settled on. Hermione leaned across the edge of the window and watched the owl take flight, keeping her gaze fixed on the white dot until it went out of sight. When she turned around, Ginny was already gone. Hermione sighed a little with disappointment, feeling a rush of cold loneliness.

"I hope you like eggs on toast," Hermione said as she walked through the door of the Room, her hands ladened with food. Even magically made light it was hard to juggle all of the plates.

She fell silent, tiptoeing across the floor when she noticed Draco curled up at the foot of the bed, asleep again.

"Can I get a table? Please?" she whispered and the Room obliged, providing a massive oak table against an open space of wall. Hermione sat the plates down one at a time, as quietly as she could, and settled down in a wooden chair.

Within minutes of her sitting down to eat, Draco awoke, sniffing at the air. "That all smells amazing," he said, pushing himself off the bed and joining her at the table.

They ate their way through the entire selection and cleaned their plates. Hermione leaned back in her chair with a groan. "I shouldn't have gotten that much food."

"But it was so good." Draco reclined the chair back on two legs. "So, tell me, do you have any plans for Christmas?"

Hermione gulped, thinking of the letter she'd just sent. Did he somehow know what she was thinking about? She knew it wouldn't take long for her parents to receive, but how long would it take before they responded…and what would their response be? "Not yet," she evaded. "I'm probably going to go home, though. My parents understand that I had to come back to Hogwarts but I still hate that I had to leave again so soon after I found them."

Draco sighed and tapped the back of his fork against his plate. "When I was young, Christmas was the one time of the year that I felt like we were ever really a family. Dad would always hire someone to bring in the tree and the house elves would do all the decorating, but for that one day it was just the three of us. We'd unwrap presents first thing in the morning and then eat breakfast in the dining room." He frowned hard. "Sorry. Didn't mean to darken the mood."

Hermione reached over and placed her hand over his. "It's okay."

"I guess I'll be staying here for Christmas. Again."

Hermione forced back a knowing smile as she stood up and twined her fingers through his. She led him over to the bed and they curled up on top of the covers, his head resting on her shoulder.

After a few minutes of silence, Draco slipped out from under Hermione's arm and got up, pacing back and forth across the floor. Hermione watched, wishing there was something that she could say to make this easier.

He paused, picking up the newspaper and ripped the picture of his house in half. "I'm sorry," he said, looking up at her and breathing hard. "I have to get out of here. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Yeah." Hermione smiled at him. "Of course." She waited, expecting a kiss, but he disappeared out the door immediately, like he couldn't stand another second in this place. She felt a little shut out by Draco's leaving, but at the same time she understood his drive to be alone right now.

Hermione let out a sigh. She stared at the closed door for a minute before trying to distract herself with her homework. If she was going to sit around all day, she could at least be productive about it.

Draco hadn't returned by lunch time so Hermione packed up her homework and took it up to the Great Hall with her. She worked on her Ancient Runes translations while she picked at her food, surreptitiously glancing in the direction of the Slytherin table to make sure Draco wasn't there.

She didn't see him while she spent all afternoon in the library, searching through books and taking notes for her Transfiguration essay.

She didn't see him when she ate dinner alone.

He didn't come when she curled up in front of the fireplace in the Room, relaxing with a hot cup of tea she'd made herself.

Hermione understood that he wanted some space right now, that he was trying to deal with the conflicting emotions of the destruction of his home, but she still missed him and worried constantly about where he had gone. Her imagination conjured images of him leaving Hogwarts and going after the Death Eaters on his own. Would he join his mother or would he try to find vengeance single-handedly?

Was this her life now? Always worrying about where Draco was when she wasn't being included and what he was doing? Wondering whether he was in danger—self-inflicted or otherwise?

Hermione pulled out their sheet of parchment and read through all their old messages, holding her breath when she realized a new one was appearing at the bottom.

_I'm sorry I've been gone all day. I went to ask McGonagall for permission to go home—or what's left of it. I felt like I just needed to see it all. I promise not to go after any Death Eaters, at least not without you. _Hermione could hear the small bit of laughter in his voice through his handwriting. _I'll be back in the morning. Love, Draco _

_I understand, just be safe. I'd hate to have to come rescue you. See you in the morning. _She stared at the parchment for a second, looking at the twists and loops in the word "Love." Hermione wished that she knew what she felt for Draco, what these complicated emotions and jumps in her heart added up to. In the end, she only signed her name. Without waiting for a reply, she folded up the parchment and slipped it into her bag. It was late and the stress of the day made her feel exhausted.

Hermione gathered up her stuff and headed up to the dormitory. It felt good to change into her pajamas and crawl between her familiar sheets. She missed the soothing sound of water pouring down the walls and the way the Room always seemed to smell like her favorite things, but she was willing to give sleeping in her own bed another shot.

She tossed and turned for an hour or two, unable to stop thinking about Draco and where he might be now, before she finally drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, Hermione stumbled down to breakfast with everyone else. Draco sat in his now-usual seat at the far end of the Gryffindor table, nursing a cup of coffee. There were dark shadows under his eyes and he looked like he might fall asleep in his breakfast. Hermione felt all of the tension rush out of her body at once.

"Morning," she said as she sat down next to him.

"Good morning." He smiled at her and sipped at his coffee. "You weren't in the Room when I went to check after I got back."

Hermione shrugged. "I thought that maybe three days was a little long for the same set of robes. The Room would probably provide clothes if I asked, but I'd rather wear my own stuff."

"I'm glad you're here now." She could feel his fingers shaking as he ran them through her hair. "I managed to save a few things from the Manor. There wasn't much left of it, but it was a big house and they couldn't destroy everything before the Aurors arrived. I hid it in the Room."

Hermione thought immediately of the Room of Hidden Things, where Harry had hit the Half-Blood Prince's book back in their sixth year—it felt like eons ago—and where they'd found the lost diadem. The same room that had been burnt to ashes by the Fiendfyre. "Not in…?" she trailed off.

"No." Draco smiled. "Not in there. In our version of the Room. The one with the waterfalls." A shiver went down Hermione's spine at the word _our. _

Hermione covered a piece of toast with marmalade and ate hurriedly, suddenly feeling desperate to get back to the Room and see what Draco had managed to salvage from the wreckage.

"Take your time." Draco laughed. "We have all day. And…I really need to drink more coffee." At his words, his cup refilled itself and he sighed with satisfaction.

"Did you get any sleep last night?"

He shook his head before taking a long drink. "There wasn't any time. And my bed was kind of a pile of ashes, you understand."

Hermione was saved the responsibility of answering by the arrival of the barn owl. It looked strangely upset, fluttering its wings and snapping at her as she tried to remove the reply tied to its leg.

"What's that?" Draco asked as the owl flew off and Hermione unrolled the tightly furled parchment.

"It's a letter." Hermione smirked. "I wrote to Ron, telling him what I thought about that Death Eater attack, the one on the shopping centre…" She could see a flash of disappointment in his eyes, but it disappeared before she could blink. Hermione bent down to read the letter.

_Hermione—_

_The other Aurors and I are looking into it. There's a lot of information that's not being released to the public, of course, and you understand that it's too sensitive for a letter. We'll consider every possibility including the idea that they had some kind of inside help or knowledge. Don't worry about it, we'll catch them. You just focus on getting straight Outstandings on all of your N.E.W.T.s. _

_I'll let you know if there's anything that you can do to help. I know that you're worried for your family but they will be fine. I have someone working on some temporary protection spells, just until you can come home and do them yourself. I know you'd do a lot better than anything anyone here can come up with. _

_Ron _

Hermione wrinkled her nose as she crumpled up the letter. Frustration pounded against her skull. A part of her had expected him not even to answer, but this reply was worse than anything she could have imagined. After everything that had happened with them, after all the times she'd saved their skins, Ron was brushing her off like she couldn't possibly understand what was going on in the Auror office just because she wasn't there.

"What is it?" Draco asked. "Did he say something about us?"

"No." Hermione handed him the crumpled up letter and watched as he flattened it out until it was legible again. "I'd almost prefer it if he had. He practically told me that I don't know anything about what's going on."

When Draco was done reading, he crumpled up the parchment again, his eyes dark like storm clouds. "At least your family will have protection. That's good, right?"

"Yes. Though he's right about it being temporary. I don't know if I trust anyone else to protect my family." Hermione sighed, glancing up into the rafters where a few owls were still flying in circles—none of them a snowy owl. She pushed her plate away, stomach churning with anger.

"Come on," Draco said as he stood up. "Let's go to the Room. I want to show you what I found." Hermione wasn't sure how that would help anything, but she smiled and took his hand, glancing up once more to see if a late owl might have arrived.

She couldn't shake the worry that something had happened. Maybe whoever was placing the protection spells on the house had let something slip regarding the rumors about her and Draco. Maybe the letter had been intercepted. Maybe they knew more about the magical world than she gave them credit for. Hermione shook her head. It was just taking them some time to figure out owl post…that was all.


	33. Chapter 33

_She couldn't shake the worry that something had happened. Maybe whoever was placing the protection spells on the house had let something slip regarding the rumors about her and Draco. Maybe the letter had been intercepted. Maybe they knew more about the magical world than she gave them credit for. Hermione shook her head. It was just taking them some time to figure out owl post…that was all._

"What'd you find?" Hermione asked once they were alone in the quiet passageways, finding a new sense of excitement and curiosity. There was nothing she could do to make her parents answer her letter any faster, so she might as well do whatever she could to make the wait pass quickly.

"You'll see," Draco replied with a mysterious smirk. "It's a surprise. I know you understand the concept."

Finally they stepped up to the blank stretch of wall and Draco paced in front of it three times, forehead creased with concentration, until the door appeared.

"After you," Draco said, holding it open for her.

"Thank you." Hermione stepped inside, scanning the room. She didn't know what she expected, but she didn't notice anything new in the room. Same waterfalls, same bookshelves, same couch in the middle.

"Over here." Draco chuckled, leading her to the corner where a large chest now sat, tucked hidden behind the shelves. "This isn't from my house, I just asked the Room for it so that I could hide my stuff in there." He lifted open the top and waved for Hermione to sit down on the couch.

"This was on the lawn," Draco said, pulling out a mostly-intact peacock feather. It was long, elegant, a mix of green and gold with an egg-shaped splash of color at the tip.

"Gorgeous," Hermione murmured. The complexity of the colors mimicked the boy holding it. She pictured a little blond boy chasing after the royal birds and suppressed a laugh.

"This is my father's." Draco's voice darkened as he pulled out Lucius's familiar, silver handled cane. "I don't know why I brought it with me."

Hermione flooded with emotion looking at it. The cane represented everything she hated and it reminded her of the boy that once drew out the same feelings in her. She felt an inexplicable desire to burn it. "Because it was important to your father."

He shook his head and shoved it back into the chest. As he reached in to pull out the next item, his entire body softened. It was a book, battered and charred a little at one of the corners. Hermione jolted with recognition.

_The Tales of Beedle the Bard. _

"I know that book," Hermione whispered.

Draco raised his eyebrows at her. "I didn't know Muggles read wizard fairy tales, but then I guess you've read everything else. I shouldn't be surprised." His voice was light and teasing.

"I didn't read it until recently. It's…a long story." Hermione chuckled and reached out to take it from him. It felt like a century ago, those days of deciphering the meaning of Dumbledore leaving her that book and hunting Horcruxes. "Did you read this a lot when you were a kid?"

"Mum would read it to me. Whenever she got the chance. It…was my favorite book." Draco smiled as she accepted it back. "This is hers. I found it where their bedroom used to be." He pulled out a thick, flowing black cloak. It was torn in a few places but in relatively good shape. He let the fabric flow over his hands with a sad smile.

Hermione watched, her heart thumping against her ribs. She wanted so badly to offer him comfort right now but the only thing she could think to do was be there.

"And, finally," Draco's voice gained a new note of excitement and hesitation, "I found this not far from the cloak. It was Mum's necklace but I rarely saw her wear it."

Hermione expected it to be something extravagant, something befitting the wife of Lucius Malfoy and their expansive home. What she saw, however, took her breath away.

It was a pendant in the shape of a branch, hanging off a twisted silver chain. The branch was made out of silver and diamonds, some of the tips marked with a rich emerald. It was beautiful in its simplicity.

Hermione didn't realize that Draco was coming towards her until he was sitting down on the couch beside her.

"Hermione," he murmured, "I want you to have it."

She finally managed to find her voice. "I-I can't accept this." It was all too weird, all too soon. This was the boy she hated, the family that hated anyone like her, and yet here he was sitting next to her with his eyes crystal clear and a tentative smile on his face.

"She promised that she would give it to me, someday, to give to whomever I chose." Draco stroked her hair back off her shoulders. "I want to give it to you."

Hermione's heart stuttered in her chest. She felt like she was moving in a dream as she pulled her hair over one shoulder and turned her back to him. Draco settled the necklace around her neck and fastened the clasp. It felt strangely cold, drawing up memories of wearing the icy locket.

When Draco sat back, Hermione let her hair go and turned to smile at him. Her mind was a twisted mess of buzzing thoughts and emotions. She was wearing a necklace from Draco. And not just any necklace, a _family_ necklace. What did that mean for her, for them? The metal felt weighted down with all her confusion.

"How does it look?" she asked.

He reached out to brush his fingers over the pendant, looking away from her at the same time. "It looks amazing."

Hermione tugged on his collar until he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. She threw herself into the kiss, trying to transfer everything that she couldn't put into words—her confusion, her hope, her worry, her growing affection—before nudging him away.

"You need to sleep," she said.

Draco stared back at her with one eyebrow raised. "Because you're wearing Mum's necklace doesn't make you my mother," he teased.

Hermione concentrated hard and a bed appeared in place of the couch. Draco sighed and curled up underneath the covers. She leaned over and placed a kiss on his forehead, radiating a strange sense of protectiveness.

There wasn't much that Hermione could do to keep him safe, but with this, at least, she could make a good run of it. As he drifted off to sleep, she worked on her homework leaning with her back against the headboard, every once in a while her fingers wandering absently to play with the branch hanging from her necklace.

Draco was still asleep by lunch time, so Hermione went alone and returned with a sandwich for him. He blinked sleepily at her when she walked through the door, holding up the sandwich like a peace offering.

"You missed lunch," she said.

Draco took it from her with a smile. "Thanks." They curled up next to each other on the bed, him with his sandwich and her with her homework. They stayed for hours, parchment and books spread across the comforter, only interrupting the silence for one of them to ask a question or comment on a frustrating piece of homework.

Hermione was in the middle of a particularly long-winded rant about how her Ancient Runes professor expected them to translate runes with multiple possible meanings when she stuttered to a stop. Draco was staring at her with a strange expression in his eyes and a smile poking at the corners of his lips.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing." Draco's smile widened a bit as he looked back at his homework. "Nothing at all." Hermione kept her gaze fixed on him until he sighed and offered a better response. "It's just…you're so passionate about all of this. Most students I know hate doing their homework—assuming they do it at all—but you really enjoy all of it. The whole process of learning. Even this."

Hermione had never heard anyone describe her love of knowledge like that before. Most said it like it was something to be ashamed of, something to hide. Draco wasn't making fun of her at all. He sounded almost…reverent. "I wouldn't say I love homework, but I don't mind it. I do love learning new things. I'm sorry if I'm distracting you from your work."

"No…I love listening to you talk about stuff." Draco grinned at her and they returned their eyes to their work.

By dinner time, Hermione had completed most of her work. They went to the Great Hall together before heading up to their respective dormitories. He heart thumped in her chest as she tucked the necklace safely away in her trunk. With it out of sight, she could almost believe that it was just a very vivid dream. Hermione wasn't sure if she had any intention of sleeping in her own bed tonight, but she did know that all she wanted right now was a long shower. She fell asleep under her covers before she even had a chance to think about moving anywhere else.

Hermione spent breakfast the next morning with Draco—as per their usual—and then they headed down to Potions together. Their class was relatively uneventful, or at least there weren't any toxic fumes released over the course of the period.

She peered at everyone in their class, wondering which of them had tampered with their potion, but she didn't have any more luck narrowing it down than Draco had.

It was frustrating but there wasn't really anything either of them could do about it now. It infuriated Hermione, almost blocking out the deep feeling that their "punishment" for their relationship being dragged out of the shadows wasn't quite finished.

They separated after lunch for their afternoon classes with the promise to meet in the library. It would be the first time they'd spend any length of time there—alone or together—since the first day after everyone found out about their relationship.

Hermione felt strangely nervous, something that she'd never associated with a library before. They were supposed to be comforting places where she could settle with her oldest friends, not somewhere people could gawk at her like a caged bird.

She still felt a little jittery as she stood on the threshold, stepping across it with a soft sigh. It was almost entirely empty, most people waiting until after dinner to come around to work on their homework.

Draco wasn't there yet so she settled into a little two-person table in a shadowy corner. The table was large enough that she could spread out her things and indeed she did.

"Excuse me," a voice interrupted as she was just about to settle down into her Charms essay. Hermione looked up to see a third-year boy watching her, his dark brown eyes wide.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Do you think that you could help me with my essay?" He held up a roll of parchment with a multitude of corrections and what looked like an ink stain covering the bottom quarter of the page. "I've never been very good at writing and…well…you're you."

Hermione figured that she might as well take that as a complement. She motioned to the empty chair across from her and he sat down. Her heart dropped as she remembered the many evenings she'd spend doing the same thing for Harry and Ron. "Are you sure you want my help?" she asked, resisting the urge to glance around to check to make sure no one was watching them.

The boy nodded eagerly. "My…my great-uncle was in league with Gridelwald when he was young. He works in the Magical Law Enforcement division of the Ministry now. I know what it's like, how people can change."

Hermione smiled at him gratefully and held out her hand for his essay. "Let me take a look." She gave the essay a practiced read, writing her notes tightly in the margin. She was so absorbed in her work that she didn't realize Draco had arrived until he cleared his throat and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Hello," Draco said.

If Hermione expected the third-year to squeak and hurry away, she was pleasantly surprised. The boy smiled cautiously at Draco and replied with, "Hello. Hermione's helping me with my essay. I hope you don't mind." He started to stand up, like he was preparing to bolt.

"Of course not." Draco waved his wand and an empty chair zoomed over and joined the table. The three of them sat at the table in companionable silence until Hermione had finished reading the boy's essay.

"You've got some good ideas here," Hermione began. "The problem is they're not very well organized. Why don't you try using a scrap piece of parchment to write down all of your ideas and then when you write them into your essay, organize them into groups so that there's a nice flow?"

The boy took his essay back and glanced quickly over her notes. "Thank you!" he said as he stood up.

"You're welcome." Hermione smiled at him. "Let me know if you need any more help."

"I will." He was blushing now. "Thanks again!" He waved before hurrying away. Hermione chuckled as she turned back to her own work.

"Have you ever thought about being a teacher?" Draco asked, his voice light and curious.

Hermione shrugged. "Sure, I've thought about it. But I'd rather work at the Ministry, change the world _now_ rather than in the future sort of thing. Besides, you never know. After a couple decades at the Ministry maybe I'll find teaching a nice change of pace."

Draco nodded. "I think you'd make a wonderful teacher."

"Thanks."

"Well, it's almost dinner time." Draco started to organize his parchment and books into a stack in front of him. "Shall we?"

"Just one second." Hermione jotted down a few notes from the book she'd been reading before the boy interrupted her and followed him.

Hermione's breath froze in her throat when they arrived in the Great Hall and she realized that a snowy owl was sitting in the middle of the table at their normal place. The owl was gathering some whispers and looks, either because of her appearance or because owls rarely arrived at meals other than breakfast.

"Were you expecting another letter?" Draco asked, forehead scrunched with confusion.

Hermione nodded, her fingers shaking as she accepted the letter tied around the owl's leg. She was painfully conscious of Draco's eyes on her as she unrolled it and bent over to read.

_Dear Hermione—_

_We hope that you receive this all right. This owl is a tad snappier than she used to be; almost bit Dad! We would love to have your friend come stay with us over the holidays. No one should be alone over Christmas. We miss you very much and can't wait to see you! _

_Love, _

_Mum and Dad _

Hermione read the letter four times in a row, making sure that she was reading it correctly. Her heart banged against her ribs, a strange roaring noise in her ears. She'd dared to hope that her parents would allow Draco to come home with her for the holidays, but she hadn't really thought about what to do if they did.

"Everything okay?" Draco asked.

Hermione folded the letter in half and grinned at him. "Everything's fine. Just a letter from my parents. I…I have something that I need to ask you."

"If it's 'can my parents meet your parents' then I don't think we're quite there yet." He smirked and reached over to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. "What is it?"

"I want _you_ to meet my parents," Hermione said hesitantly. She'd never introduced a boy to her parents before, not even Ron. She wasn't entirely sure why she wanted so badly to do it now. "Will you come home with me for Christmas?"

**A/N: Sorry this was late! It's been a very busy couple weeks. I tried to post the picture that was the inspiration for the necklace, but it didn't work out so well. If you would like to see it, PM me.  
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	34. Chapter 34

_"I want you to meet my parents," Hermione said hesitantly. She'd never introduced a boy to her parents before, not even Ron. She wasn't entirely sure why she wanted so badly to do it now. "Will you come home with me for Christmas?"_

Draco looked away, his eyes impossible to read. Hermione tried not to hold her breath. "Are you sure that you want me there?" he asked, the words coming out slow and uncertain.

She placed her hand over his. "I wouldn't ask if I wasn't sure."

"I was just going to stay here for Christmas. Do, I don't know, something. Write to you probably." There was a bit of a laugh in his voice at the last bit, but Hermione still couldn't see his face. Her fingers itched to reach out, to turn him towards her so that she could look into his eyes. Maybe then she'd be able to figure out what he was thinking.

"My parents don't know who you are." Desperation snuck into her voice no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. "We could have a normal Christmas."

Draco finally turned his face to her. She relaxed when she caught sight of his smile and the strange gentleness in his silver eyes. "We can never have a normal Christmas." His gaze sharpened a bit at that, but he didn't lose the smile. "Your parents wouldn't want me there if they knew who I was."

"But they don't and they're not going to find out." Hermione slipped a little closer to him. "I know and I want you to come with me."

Draco draped his arm over her shoulders. "I would love to come home with you."

Hermione smiled back at him. "Yeah?"

"Of course."

She couldn't stop herself from leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. It barely lasted a second but it was long enough for someone to notice and shout "Get a room!"

Hermione smirked and pulled him in for another, lingering kiss. She was so done tip-toeing around everywhere. She wanted Draco and if anyone had a problem with that then they were going to have to deal with it. When she pulled away, she reached up to the space between her collarbone, feeling for the necklace that was locked in her trunk upstairs.

Draco turned his gaze downwards and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"In my room," Hermione replied. "It just seemed too…fancy to wear around Hogwarts. You know." She didn't know if that was the truth of how she felt, or if wearing it made her feel like she was being branded a Malfoy. There was just something so _permanent_ about it. She wanted to be with Draco, but carrying the weight of his family was a different matter.

"Okay." When Draco smiled at her, she felt a strange sense of sadness and separation, like she was watching herself with him instead of really _being_ with him.

Even though the necklace stayed in her trunk for the rest of the day and the night, that didn't keep it from Hermione's thoughts. She thought about Draco holding it in his hands with hope in his eyes and a question on his lips. She thought about Narcissa and whether she wore this very same necklace. She thought about generations of Malfoys and the look of twisted revulsion on their faces if they knew who wore it now. The thought made her almost nauseous.

In the morning, she kneeled next to her trunk and pulled it out, clasping it around her neck. It looked so non-threatening. So simple. A beautiful gift from a boy to his girl.

So why did it feel so heavy?

In the afternoon, crushed under her questions, Hermione couldn't hold them in any longer. She was sitting on the couch in the Room of Requirement, Draco next to her with his eyes closed.

"Draco?" Hermione asked softly.

He hummed back at her. She assumed that meant he was awake and listening.

"Was this really your mum's necklace?" She played with the leaf pendant, twisting it to catch the light.

Draco's eyes opened slowly. He looked more confused than anything. "It was. Though, like I said, she didn't wear it very much."

Hermione wasn't sure what she wanted from him but she still didn't feel satisfied. "What'd she do with it?"

Draco's eyebrows scrunched together. "It was in her bedroom, I guess. With the rest of the jewelry she never wore. What's all this about?"

"Just curious." Hermione shrugged and fell silent. She made it a few minutes before she realized she'd been staring at the same rune in her book the entire time without actually taking it in. "Where did your mum get it?"

This time Draco's eyes stayed closed as he answered. "Father gave it to her. Just before they got married."

"Did he buy it for her?"

Draco laughed. It was a dark and hollow sound that almost echoed in the small room. "Father would never have bought anything like this necklace. No, it's been in the family for generations."

"So it gets passed down?" A strange electricity vibrated in Hermione's bones. Lucius had given it to Narcissa? Just before their wedding day?

"To the first son, to give to the girl of his choice." Draco's voice soured. "Mum probably would have given it to me after I graduated from Hogwarts."

"What if there wasn't a son?"

"Then it would have been passed to the first daughter." Draco's eyes opened, fixing hers in his gaze. His stare demanded an explanation, but Hermione looked away.

"Was there anything special about it?" Hermione continued to press.

Draco sat up, resting his hand on her shoulder and playing with her hair. "Not that I know of. It's a family heirloom. Now, what's all this about?" His voice tightened at the last, his eyes tired.

"It's just…" Hermione paused, trying to organize her thoughts into words. "I can't stop thinking about sixth year." Draco's eyes darkened to steel, but he let her continue. "The last time you gave someone a necklace, it turned out to be cursed."

Draco turned bright red with outright fury. "Are you suggesting that I would _curse_ you?"

"No, I…" She didn't know how to finish. She hated the doubts that swirled in her head but they wouldn't go away. He'd never been able to change before, not even when Dumbledore gave him the chance, so why now? Why her?

Draco stood up, his entire body tensed. "I can't believe that you would actually think that." He fell speechless, his eyes darting about the room like he was looking for an escape route. "I hate myself. I hate myself for everything that I've ever done. How many people I've hurt. When I'm with you, I feel like I can finally move past that and do something _good_ for once. But when you say things like that, it makes me wonder if I can ever truly get away from it all. And if _you_ can."

Hermione started to reach for him, but he pulled away. "Draco…"

"Maybe I should take that necklace back. So it can't hurt you." Draco held out his hand and Hermione felt like crying as she slipped it from her neck and into his palm.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that I don't trust you…" Hermione rambled, trying so hard to put everything into words. She wanted to trust him, she did, but trust wasn't built overnight especially when it was with the last person she should be trusting.

Draco clenched his fingers around it and stormed out before she could stop him. Once he was gone, Hermione was left alone in the silence with her thoughts.

"What have I done?" she whispered, leaning over with her head in her hands.

Not even the Room with all its powers and all its flexibility could provide an answer. When she walked through the Gryffindor common room that night, Ginny was sitting by the fireplace. Hermione longed to slide into the empty seat next to her. She wished that they could just sit and talk about boys, that she could vent and maybe Ginny could give her some advice.

Instead, Hermione stumbled up the stairs and into bed.

The next day Draco was nowhere to be found. He wasn't in the Great Hall or the Room of Requirement or the library or anywhere as far as she could see. Every couple hours she took out their parchment and reread the fading messages, tapping her quill against the paper. She wanted to write him to him, but she didn't know what she would say.

And she would prefer to apologize in person.

Hermione felt exhausted and hurt and guilty. She could barely concentrate in class and she only went to the Great Hall to look for Draco. Taunts and whispers followed her everywhere, chipping away at the last of her strength with every word.

"Where's your boyfriend?"

"Did the snake get away?"

"Love potion finally wear off?"

Hermione wanted to scream, but she ignored them all and just kept pushing on. Day turned to night. One day turned to two. Hermione focused on putting one foot in front of the other, and stayed out of everyone's way the best she could.

She was sitting in the Room of Requirement, just staring absentmindedly at the ceiling instead of the Transfiguration homework in her lap, when the door creaked open.

Hermione's head shot up, eyes wide with hope. Draco stepped into the room and his face made her fall silent. He looked solemn and pale, twisting his hands in front of him.

"Hermione," he began. "Neville wanted me to give you a message. There's been an attack."


	35. Chapter 35

_"Hermione," he began. "Neville wanted me to give you a message. There's been an attack."_

The world stopped spinning with a sharp jerk. Hermione flopped back in the couch. Questions raced through her brain like wildfire but she couldn't seem to get any of them to come out. Draco stepped carefully across the floor and sat down next to her.

"I don't know all the details," he said softly. "Ron's been in St. Mungo's since yesterday. Neville's waiting for you in the Great Hall."

Ron was attacked? Ron was in St. Mungo's? She'd seen Ginny. Last night. Had she known then? She tried to recall her friend's face, to remember if she'd looked sad or scared or anything, but all she could remember was her sitting by the fireplace. She'd been working on homework—or at least pretending to—and it hadn't seemed like anything was wrong, like her brother being in mortal peril.

Maybe she hadn't known. Hermione clung to that slender hope as she stood up.

"I have to talk to Neville," she croaked.

Draco stood up to follow, but she motioned him to sit back down on the couch. If she was going to do this, she wanted it to be without worrying about the fight. "I'll be right back."

He must have understood, because he sat back down and watched her leave. Hermione didn't know how she made it to the Great Hall, but before she knew it she was standing outside of the immense doors. She pushed through them to see Neville waiting for her at the end of the Gryffindor table. The room was mostly empty, but she wouldn't have cared any more if it was filled to the brim.

"What's going on?" she asked Neville as she reached him.

Neville moved over, waiting for her to sit before he spoke. "A group of Aurors were tracking down a lead on a couple of Death Eaters last night. They found more than a couple. Ron got hit in the chest with a curse."

Hermione couldn't breathe. She forced the air down into her lungs and back out again. "He's going to be okay?"

"They're keeping him for a few days, but he'll be fine. The others caught the Death Eater that attacked him but most of them got away. I just…I thought you should know. I think the Auror Office is trying to keep it out of the _Daily Prophet_ but I didn't want you to find out from someone else."

"Thanks, Neville." Hermione smiled but it dropped away when a thought kicked her in the chest. This should be Ginny and Harry sitting here, explaining everything. She should be comforting Ron's sister, reassuring her that everything was okay once and it would be again. She could take the awkward silences, someone else in her seat at dinner, the avoidance, the looks, the gossip, but this was something else. They weren't friends. They weren't enemies. They were strangers.

Hermione broke. Tears ran down on her face and she shook with sobs. Neville leaned over, pulling her into a hug. She rested her face on his shoulder, crying into his shirt. Her friends, the ones that she'd die for and indeed almost had many times, were gone.

When the tears finally ran out, Hermione leaned back and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry."

Neville shook his head. "I'll let you know if anything changes. And, Hermione?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm still here for you. And Luna too, of course."

Hermione stood up, needing to do something. "Thank you. Really."

"I'll see you later."

"See you." Hermione wandered out of the Great Hall and back to the Room of Requirement. A bolt of fear struck her as the door appeared. What if Draco wasn't waiting for her? What if he was still mad? What if he'd only come to deliver Neville's message and now she'd lost him again?

Hermione pushed the door open.

Draco smiled at her from the couch. Relief washed over her like a tidal wave. She stumbled across the carpet and into his arms. She knew deep down that the fight was still sitting there, waiting to be acknowledged, but for now she was ready to settle next to him.

"He's going to be okay," Hermione murmured. "I just can't believe…nobody…"

"I'm sorry." Draco held her tight and they lapsed into silence. There wasn't anything more that could be said between them, not now. After what felt like hours of silence, Hermione finally broke it.

"I'm sorry that I didn't trust you. About the necklace." Guilt coiled inside of her like a poisonous viper.

"I meant what I said, you know. About you. That when I'm with you, I really feel like I've changed."

"I know." Hermione snuggled closer to him. "I do trust you. It's just hard sometimes." She'd lost so much—her friends, her sense of who she was—but somehow, when she was with Draco, it was almost worth it.

Draco rested his chin in her hair. "We're a pair, aren't we?"

Hermione nodded but didn't reply. They really were. The war hero and the Death Eater. The Gryffindor and the Slytherin. The lioness and the snake.

She twisted so she could look into his eyes and place her hand on his chest. His heart beat under his palm, just as strong and steady as hers. If she put her hand on her own, she wondered, would their hearts beat together?

"Are we okay?" she asked.

Draco leaned over and kissed her forehead. "We're okay."

"You're still coming home with me for Christmas?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

He didn't offer to give the necklace back and she didn't ask. That was something she was going to have to earn and she was ready to try.

They stayed silent for the rest of the evening, just enjoying the pleasure of each other's company. An undercurrent of tension remained between them, the knowledge that she hadn't trusted him weighing on both their minds. It was well after midnight before they let each other go and headed to their respective dormitories.

Hermione wished that Draco would ask her to stay with him, but he didn't and she couldn't find the words.

Her bed felt strangely cold and lonely, especially with the knowledge that Ginny was lying just a few beds away. She peeked out of her curtains but Ginny's were drawn up tight around her bed. Hermione stayed awake until the early hours of the morning, unable to shut her mind down. How was Ron doing? What about the Death Eaters? Had they been able to get any information out of the one they'd arrested?

If Ron and the others had been surprised by the number of Death Eaters gathered, what did that mean? How many Death Eaters were involved?

She felt restless trapped in the castle. She wanted to do something, wanted to help. She'd always been able to turn to her books and come up with something that could help them. It was hard just sitting on the sidelines and watching it all play out around her.

Finally, with just a few hours before sunrise, Hermione was able to drift off to sleep.

When she rolled out of bed the next morning, Ginny was already gone. Hermione wandered down to breakfast but her old friend wasn't there either. Draco sat at the end of the table in his usual seat and for once he wasn't alone.

Sitting next to him, of all people, was Luna.

Of the two of them, Draco looked the most uncomfortable, a touch of the old Malfoy look etched onto his face. Though that may have been related to the fact that Luna was wearing an enormous straw hat with what looked like orange cherries rolling around of their own accord inside the brim.

"Hey, Luna," Hermione said as she slid into her seat, unable to take her eyes off the strange hat.

"Good morning, Hermione." Luna's eyes looked dreamy as she picked at a plate of potatoes mixed with peppers. "These are Gingerian cherries. They like to be taken out for walks. Don't get out much, poor things."

Hermione couldn't figure out how the cherries could know that they were being taken out for a walk, as they didn't appear to have any visible eyes or anything at all beyond their strangely colored skins, but she knew better than to point that out to Luna.

The small fruits did seem to be having a good time rolling around, to say the least. Just having Luna sitting there made Hermione feel strangely warm. After everyone talking behind her back and never to her, it meant so much that Luna was here with them now.

"Neville told me he told you about Ron," Luna continued.

"Yes, he did. Is there any news?"

Luna smiled dreamily. "He's still in St. Mungo's but I heard they're going to release him soon. Ginny got permission to go visit him for a couple of days."

The explained Ginny's sudden absence from Gryffindor tower and the Great Hall. Hermione frowned at her plate, struggling to come to terms with the fact that Ginny hadn't even found her to explain that everything was okay.

What if Ron had died? Would anyone even have bothered to let her know? Or would she have found out from the Daily Prophet or the rumor mill? The thought made her stomach turn over and she pushed away her plate.

"Thanks for telling me," Hermione replied.

"You're welcome." One of the cherries made a particularly large leap, tumbling over the edge of the hat and onto the table. Luna chuckled and tossed it back up with its buddies. "They're very active little creatures."

"I can see that." She glanced from Luna to Draco, thinking about how strange it was to see the two of them sitting at the same end of the table. Next to each other. Without looks of pure hatred. Everyone around them seemed to have the same idea, because they kept shooting covert looks in their direction and whispering to their friends.

Luna kept her eyes averted from the Slytherin next to her. Draco couldn't seem to stop staring at her. "I'm sorry," he blurted out. "I'm sorry for everything that happened to you and your family. I wish I could go back and change it, I really do." His voice was rough and hurried, like he couldn't get the words out fast enough. Hermione curled her hands in her lap, remembering the fear and weariness in Draco's face in those horrible days at Malfoy manor. He hadn't instigated any of it, he'd been swept up like the rest of the them.

Luna turned her gaze on him, lacking her usual smile. "One apology does not change a lifetime. But it is a start."

Draco looked grateful as he nodded. Three of the cherries hopped out of their corral and rolled over the table. Draco caught a pair of them in his hands, chuckling as they appeared to nuzzle his fingers. Hermione captured the third before it rolled off the edge, examining it with a curious eye. It didn't seem any different than regular cherries—ignoring the color, slightly larger size, and the fact that it moved constantly.

She handed it back to Luna who returned the three to her hat. "I should probably get going," she said. "These guys don't like to sit still for very long and I need to get to class."

"I'll see you later, Luna," Hermione said.

"Of course." Luna skipped away, the cherries bouncing up and down precariously in her hat. Hermione and Draco shared a confused glance. Hermione felt like Luna had removed a brick from the wall between them and the rest of the school. Like, for once, they weren't alone. It was at once liberating and terrifying.

When Draco walked through the door of the Room of Requirement that evening, he carried a letter in his hands and an invisible weight on his shoulders.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, the possibilities flashing through her brain. Lucius had been released. Or broken out. Narcissa was captured or injured or worse. He was being kicked out of Hogwarts.

Draco unfolded the letter with shaking hands. "_Mr. Malfoy, we regret to inform you that your application to attend the Healers' Academy upon your graduation from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been waitlisted. It is still early in the academic year and openings are constantly being made. We will inform you immediately of any changes regarding your application." _

Hermione reached out to grasp his wrist, pulling him down onto the couch next to her. "You didn't tell me that you'd already applied to be trained as a Healer."

"I applied at the beginning of the year. Before…" _Before any of this started. _"I didn't want to say anything until I was sure it would work out." He looked wrecked, his fists clenched around the letter so hard his knuckles were turning white.

"I'm sure something will open up and you'll be let in," Hermione said. She tried to pull him in for a hug, but he wasn't having it. He slid away from her until he was pressed against the other end of the couch.

"What if it doesn't?" He ripped the letter in half and crumpled it into a ball. "What if this has nothing to do with openings or my qualifications or other candidates? What if this is about _me?_ I thought this might be my chance to choose my own future, but what if I can't?"

Hermione's breath caught in her throat, the weight of everything he was carrying crashing down around her. Even in this their lives were on completely different wavelengths. There would be a place for her at the Ministry, but Draco…he would always have to struggle to change people's minds about him.

Everyone—his coworkers, his subordinates, his bosses—would be colored by the shadows of his past and his family.

"What are we doing, Draco?" Hermione asked, the words squeaking out of her throat.

"What do you mean?" He turned towards her, the dark shadows under his eyes seeming more pronounced.

"This whole thing. You and me. This goes up against everything you've ever known, everything your family has ever taught you." Hermione tapped into the dark shadow at the back of her mind, the one that told her that someday Draco would wake up and realize what was going on. Or maybe that this whole thing was just some elaborate game.

"Me? Most of my family has been in favor of Muggle slavery at some point in time and yet you want to take me home and introduce me to your parents?" Draco's expression twisted into something defensive, like a cornered animal, rather than condescending.

"What about _you_?" Hermione snapped. "Do you think that Muggles aren't equal to wizards just because they weren't born to do magic?"

"Of course not!" Draco sighed with a huff.

"Then what are we doing? We're from two completely separate worlds, different sides of the tracks."

"What tracks?" Draco's face scrunched up in confusion.

"It's a figure of speech," Hermione snapped, practically shaking now. "What happens when we get out of here and you go back to being you and I go back to being me?" It was strange to think of herself that way, like who she was with Draco and who she was without him were two completely separate people. She didn't want to admit it, but she'd grown comfortable in their little world inside Hogwarts. It wasn't perfect and it wasn't easy, but it was like being inside of a bubble. It wouldn't be too much longer and that bubble would pop, they'd both graduate and go out into the real world. Hermione had allowed herself to believe that things might be different out there, that they'd be accepted, but that was a fantasy.

She had grown used to the idea that she would have a position waiting for her but now that she'd thrown her lot in with Draco, was everything as certain as she thought? If the Healers were refusing to accept Draco because of his past, would the Ministry question her judgment as well?

"I am me. Right here. Right now," Draco said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "All I know is that I'm better with you and that as long as you'll let me in, I'll be here."

Hermione moved a little closer towards him and he took the cue and pushed himself over next to her. "It doesn't make sense," Hermione whispered.

Draco rested his head on her shoulder. "Life rarely does." Hermione closed her eyes, snuggling closer to him. She felt content sitting here but also strangely segmented, like her life had been divided into "Before Draco" and "After Draco" and she couldn't figure out how the two coincided. Nothing about this made any logical sense but she felt like she was in the right place in a way she hadn't experienced since hunting Horcruxes with Harry and Ron. She'd made her choice and it was too late to go back, even if she'd wanted to.


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Apologies for posting this late. I will try to be on time for next week! Reviews are much appreciated and very motivating. :) **

_Draco rested his head on her shoulder. "Life rarely does." Hermione closed her eyes, snuggling closer to him. She felt content sitting here but also strangely segmented, like her life had been divided into "Before Draco" and "After Draco" and she couldn't figure out how the two coincided. Nothing about this made any logical sense but she felt like she was in the right place in a way she hadn't experienced since hunting Horcruxes with Harry and Ron. She'd made her choice and it was too late to go back, even if she'd wanted to._

It was still relatively early, for them, when Hermione started to get up to head for Gryffindor tower. She felt world-weary and more than ready for the day to be over with. All the ups and downs—Luna at breakfast, class, Draco's waitlisting, and now this—left her feeling like she'd lived a year in a day.

Draco caught her wrist as she started to stand, running his fingers down until they twined with hers. Hermione felt a spark of the familiar jitters from when they'd first gotten together. Then he reached behind the couch and pulled out an orchid of the deepest red that she'd ever seen.

It was beautiful, dark enough to be the same color as blood but shimmering in a way that was more reminiscent of fire. Draco slipped it into her free hand and it hit her what he was doing, trying to bring them back to when they'd first gotten together. Before the rest of the world shoved it's way into their secret life.

It wasn't a regression so much as a touchstone. Hermione smiled from the simplicity of it. She'd chosen Draco all those evenings in the library, that night by the lake when she realized how much she wanted him in her life, and every day since then.

Hermione wanted to say something but there wasn't anything left to say. They'd been through so much together and there was still so much to come. Their eyes met and Draco leaned forwards a bit, but didn't cross the distance between them. He waited for her to meet him halfway. Hermione pressed her lips against his, the kiss soft and sweet in a way that they'd been missing for a while now.

It made her want to fall back down onto the couch beside him and stay there forever, but she needed to go. There were patrols to worry about and sleep to catch up on, no matter how much she loved this quiet time in the Room.

Hermione pulled back ever so slightly, resting her forehead against his. "I have to go," she whispered.

"I know." Draco tilted his head to capture her lips in another kiss, fleeting this time but no less powerful. "Good night."

"Good night." Hermione pulled away from him and left before she could convince herself that it would be better to stay.

The next morning, Ginny still hadn't returned to Hogwarts but Hermione also hadn't heard from Neville or Luna so she assumed that Ron's recovery was going smoothly.

Anything else was unthinkable. It didn't matter that they'd broken up or what Ron thought about her and Draco, he'd still been one of her best friends and she couldn't think of losing him completely.

Hermione passed the hours like any normal Saturday, holing up in the library. No one bothered her, and Draco arrived about an hour in. She'd just started to relax into the ease of the motions when someone coughed behind them.

Three Ministry workers stood there all dressed in black robes, simple but formal, with identical sober expressions. Hermione startled, not having heard them approach.

"Mr. Malfoy?" the one in front asked. He was tall, at least a head taller than Draco, with salt and pepper hair and pale green eyes. He seemed to be the leader of the trio, as the other two—a Chinese woman with her long hair twisted into a thick braid and a stout man with frizzy blond hair—deferred to his leadership.

Panic shot through Hermione like a bolt of lightning. What if they were here to arrest Malfoy? They didn't look like Aurors but then again she wasn't sure what Aurors looked like when they went to arrest someone.

"Yes?" Draco replied, his eyes flashing. He moved into a defensive posture, turning towards them like he was ready to run or fight.

"You'd better come with us."

Draco glanced at Hermione. "Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of her."

The leading man looked her up and down, his mouth a tight line. "This information is sensitive. May I ask what is your relationship?"

She froze. What were they? Boyfriend and girlfriend didn't even begin to cover everything they'd gone through. She opened her mouth to suggest that maybe she should leave when Draco answered for her, "She's my girlfriend. Now please just tell me what it is."

"Very well. Perhaps if we could go somewhere a little more private?" His eyes flickered down the shelf rows, where a number of younger students were starting to gather and stare.

"All right." Draco and Hermione packed up their stuff as quickly as possible, stuffing it into their bags. The leader guided them out of the library and down to a tiny, seemingly unused office with the other two flanking them like they might try to bolt.

It didn't make Hermione feel any more reassured.

The office was dim and dusty inside, probably belonging to a professor that had long since retired. It was bare of furnishings except for an empty bookshelf, a small desk, and a trio of rickety chairs.

"I'm Auror Blackthorn," the man told them, waving his wand to remove most of the built-up grime from the room before settling down behind the desk. Hermione sat on a chair in front of the desk and Draco stood beside her. "We're representatives from the Aurors' Office. A team of ours was attacked while tracking a group of Death Eaters a few days ago." Hermione immediately thought of Ron and her breath caught in her throat. "Your mother, Narcissa Malfoy, was helping us attempt to track down those that got away. She was separated from the rest of the group and hasn't been heard from since."

Hermione moved her gaze from the man to Draco in time to see him turn whiter than the Bloody Baron.

"There's no reason to believe that she's in any particular danger…" Blackthorn continued, seeming not to notice Draco's distress.

"Where is she?" Draco cut him off, his voice tight. Hermione could see the cold fury rising inside of him, the way his muscles stiffened and his silver eyes went dark. His grip tightened on the back of her chair until the wood started to creak.

"Unknown." Blackthorn was unmovable. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared back at Draco.

"I'm going to find her." Draco started to turn around, like he was going to do it right now, but Hermione rested a hand on his arm until he calmed back down.

"You can't do that. She could still be tracking the Death Eaters and if you were to alert them…" She heard the unspoken threat in his words, that if Narcissa had deserted and joined the Death Eaters, they weren't about to let him join her.

"She's my _mother_."

"You have our sympathies, but until she contacts us or we find her, the best thing for you to do is stay at Hogwarts." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of magical handcuffs, setting them on the table. The threat was unmistakable: refuse to obey and you'll join your father.

Draco dropped into the remaining chair. "Just find her." His voice cracked in a bit of a whine. Hermione hoped that she was the only one who heard it.

"We will do our best, Mr. Malfoy." Blackthorn stood up again and shoved the handcuffs back into his robes. "If she contacts you in any way, let us know immediately."

"Of course," Malfoy replied, scorn blanketing his voice.

The three of them disappeared out the door of the office as quickly as they had arrived. Silence fell, blanketing the room like the coat of dust. Draco didn't move, barely seemed to breathe.

"Your mum's going to be okay," Hermione said.

Draco was slumped in his seat, his eyes staring unfocused at the cracked surface of the old desk. He still looked extremely pale and Hermione questioned the urge to cuddle closer to him. She wished that she could offer him reassurance without having to worry about it being too much.

"Draco, she's going to be fine. I'm sure she's just having trouble getting back to the Ministry."

"We're wizards, Hermione. She can Apparate." Eyes flashing, he stood up so hard that his chair flipped over backwards. "I have to go," he added abruptly.

"Where?" Hermione moved to follow him.

Draco waved her away. "I'm not going after her, if that's what you're wondering. I…just need to get outside. I just can't stay here." His eyes roamed the room like a caged predator.

She nodded. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'll see you at dinner."

"Okay." She watched him go with a deep sense of foreboding. Hermione trusted him not to risk everything in going after his mother, no matter how much he wanted to, but she couldn't help worrying that he might try something reckless. Despite her reassurances, she was worried about Narcissa. Hermione knew that Draco's mother could take care of herself, but what if something had happened? What if the Death Eaters had her?

What if the Aurors were right about their caution and Narcissa had managed to fool them all? What if she'd switched sides once more?

Hermione shook her head. No, that wasn't right. Something was probably preventing Narcissa from returning to the Ministry. Maybe she was still on the Death Eaters' trail or maybe she was just lost. It was hard to Apparate when you didn't know where you were going.

The hours passed like snails stuck in mud. She returned to the library, but it was quiet and lonely without Draco there beside her. She had Ancient Runes translations, a Potions essay, a Transfiguration essay, and six chapters of Charms to read and yet she couldn't bring herself to pay attention to any of it.

With a heavy sigh, Hermione packed up her stuff and went looking for Draco. He wasn't in the Room of Requirement, which formed itself into an empty room smaller than a broom closet when she went to check. Hermione scowled before she realized that she didn't know what she needed from it. The room was just simply giving her what she was looking for: the knowledge that Draco wasn't there.

He also wasn't in the Owlery (not that she expected him to be, considering there was no one for him to send letters to), any of the passages, or anywhere else that she could tell. Without the Marauders' Map there was no way for her to check the dungeons and she wasn't about to ask Harry for it.

The grounds were her next stop, blanketed by snow as they were. It wasn't until she wandered down to the lake that she spotted Draco's familiar shock of white hair and his green winter cloak.

Hermione walked over, her heart heavy, and sat a few feet away from him. He was crouched at the edge of the lake, tossing handfuls of rocks into the water. She wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and settled into the snow.

She saw Draco glance her way out of the corner of her eye, but he didn't say anything.

Neither did Hermione.

For what seemed like ages, they sat there, the only sounds the whisper of the trees and the steady plop-plop of the splashing rocks.

"Draco," Hermione whispered. He turned towards her, his eyes blank. Seeing him like that rocked her to the core. "Please don't lock me out."

Wordlessly, he pushed himself over until he was sitting next to her, so close to the edge of the lake that the bottom of his cloak floated in the water. Hermione stayed still, hardly daring to breath as he put his arms around her and rested his face into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Draco merely shook in response. His face was too deeply buried in her cloak for her to see the tears that she was sure streamed down his face.

Hermione's heart crashed against her ribs as it hit her how much she loved this boy next to her. She wished there was something she could do to make it all go away, a map that extended beyond the borders of Hogwarts. A tracking spell that would tell them where Narcissa was, and whether she was all right.

But even if such a spell existed, doubtless Narcissa would have protections to repel against it. If Hermione could find her with a spell, that meant the Death Eaters could too.

Gradually, Draco's shaking stopped and his breathing evened out again, but he left his head resting on her.

"If something happens to her..." Draco didn't have to finish. Hermione hugged him a little closer and rubbed soothing circles on his back with her thumb. Narcissa was the only one that Draco ever really had. The only one that had fought to protect him. The only family he had left.

"Nothing is going to happen to her."

"I wish that I had half your conviction." His voice was raw from crying and strangely shaky. Hermione didn't know quite how to react to this fragile Draco. Even when he was terrified, he still attempted to keep the air of confidence that he'd always used in the past, that same arrogance that kept people at bay.

Hermione and Draco stayed sitting on the banks until their faces went numb and a cold wind kicking across the lake drove them inside. It was well after dinner and Hermione was surprised when her stomach rumbled its displeasure at having missed it.

"Why don't we go down to the Room and I'll fetch dinner from the kitchen," she suggested.

Draco shook his head. He was more steady now, more himself, but she could still see the faraway look in his eyes. Wherever his mother was now, his mind was with her. "I think I'm going to bed."

"Okay." Hermione grabbed him by the collar of his cloak and placed her lips over his. "I will see you in the morning?"

"Breakfast. I promise."

She kissed him once more and let him go, watching as he retreated down to the dungeons. Sighing with worry, Hermione headed off in the opposite direction. Even though he'd shown her a part of himself that few—if any—ever witnessed, he still hadn't really opened up to her.

Food and then she would patrol. Maybe a nice wander of the passageways and a few errant first-years would take her mind off things. Draco stayed on her mind the whole night, even as she went to bed. She snatched the map out of the depths of Harry's trunk, just to reassure herself that Draco hadn't left. But there he was, in the Slytherin dormitory safe and sound. Guilt gnawed at her as she put the map back in its place and crawled into bed.

She cared for Draco so much, and yet she couldn't bring herself to fully trust him. The thought grated in her mind until the early hours of the morning when she finally drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, Hermione went down to the Great Hall and Draco stumbled in when she was halfway done with her food. His hair was shaggy and scruff covered his chin.

"Mail in yet?" Draco asked, his voice anxious.

Hermione shook her head and the familiar rush of wings sounded over their heads. Owls swooped in, circling around the ceiling until they spotted their owners. Draco stared up at them with searching eyes but within minutes they'd all swooped out again.

He slumped into his seat, looking more lost and broken than she'd ever seen him before. She rested her hand on his arm, trying to convey that everything wasn't gone. She was still there and she'd do whatever she possibly could to make everything all right again. Hermione didn't know how much more of this she could take before she was tempted to leave Hogwarts and hunt Narcissa herself.


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: WE'RE GETTING ANOTHER MOVIE, FANDOM. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them! I'm so excited! Without further ado, the new chapter... **

_He slumped into his seat, looking more lost and broken than she'd ever seen him before. She rested her hand on his arm, trying to convey that everything wasn't gone. She was still there and she'd do whatever she possibly could to make everything all right again. Hermione didn't know how much more of this she could take before she was tempted to leave Hogwarts and hunt Narcissa herself._

The rest of Sunday dragged on painstakingly. They started out in the library, settled down at their usual table, but Hermione suggested they move when it became obvious that Draco wouldn't be able to sit still.

He paced, flipped his books back and forth, and tapped his wand against the surface of the desk. He looked angry and restless, prowling around like a cat. He didn't say anything, just let out an occasional sigh or exasperated growl.

Hermione wasn't any better at focusing. Her chair faced away from the entrance to the library, so every few seconds she felt compelled to turn around to make sure the Aurors hadn't returned with more news. It killed her to just sit and wait around. They were surrounded by books but none of them held the answers that either of them wanted.

It was noon when they went to lunch. They both scanned the rafters, checking for late owls, but there weren't any. There also wasn't anything in the Daily Prophet about the attacks or Narcissa. And the only word on Death Eaters in the daily gossip was whether or not they were done attacking.

After lunch, Hermione and Draco retreated to the Room. It formed itself into a large circular room with desks along the walls and a punching bag hanging from the ceiling.

Draco gave it a strange look. "What is that supposed to be for?"

"Stress release," Hermione answered. "It's for hitting."

Draco gave it an experimental whack but seemed less than impressed. "Is this a common thing with Muggles?"

"Not really." Hermione shrugged as she sat down at the desk. The Room was quieter and more private, but it also came with the added anxiety that something would happen and they wouldn't know because no one would be able to find them here. Draco paced in circles, pausing only to give the punching bag an occasional hit, to the point where she started to wonder if he would wear a groove in the carpet.

"Why do you think it took them so long to tell me that my mum was missing?" Draco asked, yanking Hermione out of her thoughts. She'd been half working on her Charms reading and half thinking about Ron and Ginny in St. Mungo's, wondering if she'd be there too if she hadn't taken up with Draco.

"They probably wanted to be sure she was missing and not just out of contact. We may be magical but it still takes some time to find someone." Hermione kept her tone balanced and even, hoping it would calm Draco down a little.

"But Ron was attacked on Thursday," Draco replied, his voice analytical. It was strange to hear him this matter-of-fact after the emotional rollercoaster that had been the weekend so far. "And today's Sunday. My mum has been missing for four days and they didn't even let her son know." He was practically growling by the end of this outburst.

"She's going to be fine," Hermione reiterated for what felt like the millionth time. "They'll find her and she'll be okay." She was determined not to let her frustration show, even though the constant tension in the room was wearing her sleep-deprived mind thin.

At that moment, the door opened.

Hermione froze, her eyes moving slowly across the room. She hadn't realized it was even possible for anyone to find them there, been certain that the Room would keep them both hidden. Standing there was the last person she would have expected to see on the threshold of the Room of Requirement.

"Mr. Malfoy. Ms. Granger," Headmistress McGonagall said, looking not in the least bit surprised to see them both there. "I'd like to see you both in my office. Password is Colin."

She didn't wait for either of them to respond before she let the door snap shut again. Hermione and Draco didn't move. "Have I completely lost my mind or did McGonagall just find us in here?" Draco asked.

Hermione's mouth hung open. "I think she did."

"Should we?"

"Probably."

It was several more seconds before they were able to gather up their wits and leave the Room. Hermione left her stuff behind, trusting the Room to keep it safe in her absence.

It wasn't long before they stood outside the familiar gargoyles flanking McGonagall's office. Hermione's voice shook a little as she said, "Colin" and the wall split apart. The door on the other side stood wide open. She could hear McGonagall's voice and a second voice that stirred in her mind but she couldn't quite place…

"Mum," Draco gasped. He moved so fast past her and into the office that Hermione could feel the burst of wind. Hermione's feet remained stuck to the floor for a few seconds before she managed to push herself forwards and into the office.

McGonagall sat behind her desk, her eyebrows scrunched together a little and a soft smile on her face. In front of her was Narcissa with her arms wrapped around her son.

Narcissa looked battered and bruised, but otherwise unharmed. Her normally elegant, tamed hair was matted with leaves stuck here and there, and her robes were in shambles. Hermione felt awkward and out of place, watching the reunion. Like she should have been back at the Room, working on her homework, instead of intruding here.

"I'm all right," Narcissa murmured to Draco, her eyes closed. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that they would tell you—"

Draco tugged a little out of her grip, just enough to stare into her eyes. "You're sorry that they told me that you were _missing? _I thought you might be dead."

"I was…" Narcissa's eyes fixed on Hermione for the first time, widening into a surprised expression. "You're the Granger girl." It wasn't a question. Her voice held an edge of defensiveness but lacked in malice. She tugged Draco a little closer subconsciously.

Hermione didn't know how to respond. Standing in front of her was the woman whose sister had tortured her without mercy in her own home. Even as she stood there, thankful that Narcissa was still alive for Draco's sake that same memory gnawed at the back of her mind.

"Mother," Draco scolded slightly. "This is Hermione Granger," he continued, speaking like they were just meeting for a Sunday lunch. "My girlfriend."

Hermione and Narcissa stared back at each other, their eyes wide with uncertainty. It wasn't until Headmistress McGonagall stepped between them, her hands laden with a tea tray, that they finally looked away.

"Tea?" McGonagall offered. Hermione took a cup to have something to do with her hands. Once they were all served, they gathered in a circle of chairs. Draco sat between Narcissa and Hermione, with McGonagall on her other side.

"I can't tell you everything, obviously," Narcissa began, staring into her cup. "I trust you, all of you, but there's a lot I don't know. We were tracking a group of Death Eaters; there were only supposed to be three or four of them. I had four Aurors with me, including Ron Weasley."

Hermione suppressed a shiver as she bit back questions.

"We found their meeting place and set up an attack. Most of them fled, but a few stayed to fight. I got hit with some kind of curse, something like the Confundus Charm. I remember stumbling back outside and just wandering. It wasn't until sometime early this morning that I came to my senses."

"Do you remember who cursed you?" Draco asked, his hands wrapped around the arms of his chair in a death grip.

Narcissa shook her head, smiling at her son, and replied, "I don't." Although Hermione got the feeling that she would have said that even if she did.

"What happens now?"

Narcissa fixed her eyes on her son, her gaze a strange mixture of emotions. She looked intense and distraught and anxious and reassuring all at once. "Now I go back to the Ministry and we keep working to stop them." She hesitated. "Come home with me, Draco."

Hermione felt like her insides were freezing. She didn't want to see Draco go, but she wasn't about to come between him and his mother. She looked to Draco, but he seemed to be in a state of shock. His eyes widened and he flinched away from the table. "What?"

"Come with me to the Ministry. Help end this."

"I…" His face betrayed the pained war going on inside his head. He reached across the table with one hand for his mother's, while glancing back with longing eyes at Hermione. "I need some time to think about it."

Narcissa nodded, like she'd expected as much. "I have a few days before I have to go out of contact again. Let me know."

Draco nodded back at her. "I will."

"I should be getting back to the Ministry," Narcissa said, getting back to her feet. Draco followed her, wrapping his arms around her in a hug so tight than Hermione didn't think either of them would be able to go anywhere.

Finally Narcissa stepped away and held her son at arm's length. Hermione turned to look at McGonagall only to find that she'd disappeared. Draco glanced her way and she jerked her head towards the door in a way that she hoped told him that she'd meet him later.

Hermione tried not to run as she got to her feet and left Narcissa and her son alone together. The Room welcomed her back with open walls and she settled into the couch to wait.

What were they saying to each other? Was Narcissa trying to convince Draco to go with her? He wouldn't change his mind about thinking it over and leave without saying goodbye, would he? Did Narcissa really want Draco to join her for his help, or was she trying to separate the two of them in the only way she could?What would she do if he did leave? They wouldn't be able to write at all or talk or see each other. She never got used to her loved ones being in danger and the idea of not knowing what was happening or even if he was alive was terrifying.

It was fifteen minutes before Draco finally opened the door and stepped into the Room. His face was ashen and his hands clutched at his robes.

Hermione waited for him to come to her. He did, sitting down on the couch and cuddling close.

"I'm glad your mum's okay," Hermione murmured.

"Me too." He hugged her a little closer. "I haven't decided if I'm going to go with her yet. But I promise that I will tell you first what I choose."

"Okay." There was so much more she wanted to say, _Please don't leave me. Please don't leave without me. _The idea of him leaving after everything they'd been through stung with rejection."I'll understand…if you…"

Draco cut her off with a hard kiss. "Thank you."

For some time, nothing more was said. They kissed, sometimes soft as velvet and other times hard and bruising like it would never be enough, but mostly they just stretched out on the couch and relished in each other's company. Hermione savored every moment, a deep grinding fear inside of her afraid that this might be their last chance.


	38. Chapter 38

_For some time, nothing more was said. They kissed, sometimes soft as velvet and other times hard and bruising like it would never be enough, but mostly they just stretched out on the couch and relished in each other's company. Hermione savored every moment, a deep grinding fear inside of her afraid that this might be their last chance._

It was almost two in the morning when Hermione and Draco finally pulled apart and returned to their dormitories. Curiosity blasted through Hermione as she tip-toed through the girl's dormitory and she pulled aside the hangings around Ginny's bed. She needed to know if she'd returned yet, if she was safe.

The younger girl was curled up on her side in bed, her red hair draped across her face. She seemed to have collapsed into bed as soon as she got back, if the fact that she was still wearing her robes was any indication.

Hermione felt wistful for the old days, before her friends stopped talking to her. She stepped forwards carefully and pulled Ginny's blankets more snugly around her. Then, before she could accidentally wake her up, Hermione walked away to climb into her own bed.

She worried that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep, distracted as she was by Narcissa's offer to Draco, but she was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

In the morning, when Hermione pulled aside her drapes yawning, the dormitory was empty except for Ginny. She sat at the edge of her bed, pulling on her shoes. Her hair was still a mess and there were dark circles under her eyes.

Hermione couldn't help herself. "How is Ron?" she asked.

"He's going to be fine." Ginny's voice was raspy and she didn't even look up. "One more day in St. Mungo's and then he can be released. At least that's what they said."

"I'm glad." Hermione stood to pull on her robes.

"How did you know about Ron?" Her tone was worried, like she thought everyone in Hogwarts knew about the attack somehow, but also defensive.

"A friend," Hermione replied in annoyance. It was a low blow, but she couldn't bite it back. She shouldn't have had to find out from Neville and Luna.

"How many other people know?"

"I didn't tell anyone," she snapped. Except Draco, but he wasn't going to tell anyone either. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Ginny shrugged. "There wasn't time."

That wasn't true and Hermione knew it. If nothing else, she could have left a note. She could have sent a letter or found her before she'd left. If their roles were reversed, Hermione would have found a way to let her know what had happened. The thought burned like dry ice.

"Whatever." Hermione turned her back to gather up her stuff before she started to storm out of the room.

"Wait." Ginny's voice, low with desperation and stress, stopped her. "I'm sorry. You're right. I should have told you."

Hermione tipped her head over her shoulder, but didn't look. "You should have." She dashed down the stairs before anything else could be said. It wasn't until she was almost to the Great Hall that her heart finally stopped racing, but it jumped into overdrive again when the thought crossed her mind that Draco might not be there. That he might have decided to leave.

Hermione let out a sigh of relief that she hadn't realized she'd been holding when she spotted Draco sitting at their usual spot at breakfast. The dark shadows under his eyes seemed deeper than ever and she was relatively certain he'd been wearing those exact robes the day before, but he was there.

He hadn't left. At least, not yet.

"Ginny's back," Hermione said as she sat down. "I…kind of confronted her about not telling me about Ron."

"What'd she say?" Draco blinked tiredly at her.

Hermione shrugged. She didn't know how to explain Ginny's accusations that she'd told everyone in Hogwarts or her desperate apology in the end. "She apologized, but…"

Draco nodded in understanding, tearing a roll into tiny pieces instead of eating it. Hermione waited for him to say something, anything, but he didn't and she was afraid to ask. Even though she knew he was caught up in his own decisions, it still stung that he couldn't make an attempt to be there for her.

Draco's distraction lasted through Potions class—in which he almost added porcupine quills to a potion instead of hawk talons, and she forbade him from stirring their potion after he lost count no less than three times—and into the afternoon.

"Did you come to a decision?" Hermione breached the subject cautiously when they were curled up in the Room that evening. Draco was resting on the other end of the couch, his eyes closed, but obviously still awake judging by the insistent tapping of his fingers.

Draco opened his eyes. "I haven't."

Hermione wanted to point out that it wasn't just her waiting on the answer, he did have a deadline here, but she couldn't bring herself to. "Are you even going to ask what I think?"

"You told me that it'd be okay whatever I chose…" Draco trailed off.

Hermione stared back at him and something snapped inside of her. "I can't sit here and watch you like this. Just let me know when you've made a decision." She packed up her stuff rapidly while Draco just looked on in astonishment.

As her hand reached for the door, his voice stopped her. "I'll stay," he shouted desperately. "I'll stay," he repeated, softer this time.

Hermione froze, but she didn't turn around. She felt a gnawing worry that, if he was only doing this for her, he would come to resent her if anything happened to Narcissa. "You'll stay?"

She heard the couch creak as he stood up before crossing the room. "Yes. My entire life has been dictated by the Death Eaters and now I finally have a chance at something that's mine." He wrapped his arms around her. "Please don't leave."

"I'm not going anywhere." She leaned back into his chest.

"I'm staying for you and Christmas, but also because this is my life," Draco continued, like he could read the worries in her mind. "I'm going to become a Healer no matter what it takes. And I can't do that if I'm helping to chase down Death Eaters. All right?"

Hermione turned around to kiss him. "All right."

"Am I still invited home with you?"

"Of course." They kissed until their legs got tired and they stumbled back to the couch, still wrapped up in each other. Draco landed hard on Hermione's bag with a grunt. She laughed and pulled it out from under them, tossing it over the back of the couch.

"When are you going to tell your mother?" Hermione asked some time later, still half-afraid that Draco would change his mind. They were tangled up together on the couch, Hermione's robes bunched uncomfortably underneath her back.

"I'll write to her tonight. Later." He snuggled closer to her. "Tell me about your family."

"Why Draco Malfoy," Hermione teased, "are you _afraid_ of meeting my parents?"

"No," he growled a bit too quickly. "I…just don't want to make a fool of myself." He'd been around important people his entire life—dangerous people—but Hermione's parents were definitely out of his element.

Hermione chuckled, drawing circles on the back of his hand with the tips of her fingers. "Well, both of my parents are dentists. They fix people's teeth. They're really supportive of me going to Hogwarts and learning magic, but I think it still makes them a little nervous. I try not to do magic in the house if I can help it, and they definitely don't believe in magic where teeth are concerned."

"How much do they know? About the War?" Draco's voice was on edge.

Hermione hurried to soothe his fears. "Not much. I mean, they know that the official story isn't what happened but they don't know exactly what happened. I think they suspect more than they say but there isn't much. Don't worry, but don't…"

"Go waving my Dark Mark around," Draco finished with a dark tone. "I got it. What…what do I wear?"

Hermione frowned. She hadn't really thought that far ahead. "Do you have any Muggle clothes?"

"Not much," he admitted.

"Bring whatever you have. You can wear your robes around the house but it's probably best if we try to stay inconspicuous when we go out. We'll find something for you." Hermione closed her eyes, Draco's warmth next to her making her feel sleepy.

"Tell me something about them."

"The clothes?"

Draco chuckled. "Your parents."

Hermione cast through her memories for something and landed on their camping trip to the Forest of Dean. It had been an adventure, to say the least, though not as much as the last time she'd been there. She was in the middle of a tale about a sudden rainstorm that had caught them unawares on a hiking trip when the words trailed off and, before she knew it, she'd fallen asleep.

Hermione woke again to Draco's voice as he nudged her shoulder. "Hermione. Wake up. It's Tuesday."

"It's what?" Her eyes opened slowly and it was several seconds before she realized that they were still in the Room of Requirement and the clock on the wall indicated that they had class in less than three hours.

"We fell asleep."

Hermione groaned and rolled off the couch, her back complaining about being trapped in a cramped position for most of the night. "I need to get ready for class."

"First things first." Draco caught her waist with his arms and pulled her in for a morning kiss. "Okay, now you can go."

"What if I don't want to?" Hermione grabbed the collar of his shirt and kissed him again.

"Class," he reminded her.

"Right." Hermione tracked down her bag where she'd thrown it the night before and straightened her robes. "I'll see you at breakfast?"

"Be there before you know it." Draco settled back down on the couch, conjuring up parchment and a quill. "I need to write to my mother. I just hope she understands…"

Hermione nodded and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Tell her what you told me. I'm sure she will," she said before heading up to the dormitory. By the time she'd showered and gotten dressed, her roommates were starting to wake up.

Ginny caught her before she could head down to the Great Hall. "Hermione?" Her voice was tentative and lacking in anger for once.

Hermione paused. "Yes?"

"I was just wondering…what your plans are for Christmas." If there was a particular reason driving Ginny to ask, she didn't elaborate.

"I'm going home," Hermione replied. "Spend the holiday with my parents. Nothing special, but…you know."

Ginny nodded, eyes understanding. "Okay. I hope you have a good holiday."

"Thanks." Hermione was at a loss for how to react to her friendly curiosity. "I hope you have a good holiday too. Going to the Burrow?"

She nodded. "Mum's excited to have us all home. Even Percy. Harry is coming. And…" Hermione got the feeling that someone else was bringing a significant other home for the holiday, but Ginny wanted to save her the name.

Ginny turned away, focusing on slipping into her robes, and Hermione took advantage of the awkward silence to make her escape.

The remainder of the last week before the holiday passed faster than Hermione would have believed possible. Draco kept up a constant stream of questions—whether he needed to bring presents, what Christmas Day would be like, whether it was okay for him to bring his wand, how did her parents cook without magic, how they would travel—to the point where Hermione felt like she was being given an exam that she hadn't studied for.

Hermione tried to ease his anxieties as best she could and she couldn't help but feel a little flattered that Draco was making such an effort to do right by her family.

Before they knew it, Friday evening rolled around and the two of them were walking into Hogsmeade to catch the Hogwarts Express. She gave the thestral pulling their carriage a wide berth, still not used to the idea that she'd _ridden_ one once, but Draco went right up to it to offer a pat on its skeletal face.

"How long have you been able to see them?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.

Draco shrugged. "Forever."

She suppressed a shudder as she climbed into the carriage and he slid in next to her. She could picture a young Malfoy seeing death and thinking it was just a normal part of life. They were both quiet, wrapped up in their own excitement, as the carriages trundled down to the train.

"Are you ready?" Hermione asked as they waited to board. This whole thing was so surreal that she half-expected to wake up in a few minutes to realize that it was all a dream.

Draco smiled back at her, twining his fingers with hers. "I'm ready."


	39. Chapter 39

_"Are you ready?" Hermione asked as they waited to board. This whole thing was so surreal that she half-expected to wake up in a few minutes to realize that it was all a dream. _

_Draco smiled back at her, twining his fingers with hers. "I'm ready."_

When the doors opened, Hermione and Draco filed into the train. They moved to the back and she peeked into a cabin. There were only two people inside, but a girl with black hair scowled at her and said, "Sorry, we're full up."

Hermione resisted the urge to hiss back _full up of bullshit_ and slammed the door closed again. They finally managed to find an empty cabin at the back of the train and Hermione settled down in the seat closest to the window, scowling at the countryside.

"Forget them," Draco said, leaning forwards in the seat across from her. The train rumbled as they slid out of the station.

"I shouldn't have to. It's not any of their business what we're doing. They don't know what it's like…what any of this is like." Hermione let out an angry sigh before forcing her face into a smile. She was on a train with Draco and they were going home for Christmas. She didn't want to let anything ruin this for them.

Draco reached across the space between them. "I wish that I could say it gets easier but it never really does."

"I know." Hermione stares out the window, remembering that at least she has him at her side. He's been through all this and worse, without anyone. "I'm going to miss this train."

"What do you mean?" The corners of Draco's mouth pricked upwards.

"It's just, I look forward to going back to Hogwarts every year. Learning magic and being able to see everyone again. This is the last time I'll ever ride the train to go home for Christmas. And then everything is going to change."

"Change can be good." Draco smiled at her and she returned the sentiment. "Think of the things that we can do once we graduate." He sounded hopeful, but Hermione wasn't convinced. Their isolation was only likely to continue, any job opportunities colored by their past. Neither of them really had any plans that didn't include staying here and either working for St. Mungo's or the Ministry. What if that wasn't an option anymore?

The reminder of graduation and St. Mungo's brought up a memory. "Have you heard anything from the Healers' Academy?"

"I wrote to them—you know, saying nothing that I actually wanted to—but I haven't heard anything back yet." He frowned, slumping a little.

"It's a busy season and you've still got time," Hermione replied, keeping her voice light. She wanted to believe that the Academy members would come to their senses and give Draco a chance, whether that was true or not would depend on them.

"I suppose." Draco's face creased into a frown, but as he looked at her he smiled again. "How did we even get here?"

Hermione smiled back at him, unable to suppress a laugh. "I honestly don't know."

The hours flashed by like the view outside and before Hermione and Draco knew it, they were nearing London. Hermione changed into her Muggle clothes—a simple jumper and a pair of jeans—while Draco stayed in his robes. He hadn't been lying when he said he didn't have much in the way of Muggle clothing.

"You're sure this will be all right?" Draco asked.

Hermione gave him a reassuring glance. "I'm sure. It's not like my parents haven't seen robes before. As for those in King's Cross…I imagine they're used to seeing strangely dressed people by now."

Hermione's nerves kicked in as the train pulled into the station and huffed to a stop. Somewhere out there were her parents and she was about to introduce Draco Malfoy to them. As her _boyfriend. _Draco took her hand and she clung to it as they stepped off the train.

The moment Hermione stepped down, she knew something was very wrong. Danger was in the air, a vicious crackle that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

She drew her wand out of her pocket, slowly, trying to keep her face calm. People milled everywhere and she searched their faces, looking for anyone out of the ordinary. Maybe she was just being paranoid. Maybe the constant threat of the Death Eaters was making her see danger everywhere.

"What's going…" Draco didn't have time to finish.

Death Eaters appeared out of the crowd, menacing in their black robes and silver masks, like they'd just melted up through the floor. Someone screamed and all hell broke loose.

Hermione Stunned one before they were able to attack. Her body fell easily into the movements of war as spells bounced over their heads. There were too many bystanders, too many people in the way. Some went for their wands, rushing to defend themselves, and others just clutched their children close and ran for the barrier.

Hermione pulled Draco close, fighting back to back. A Killing Curse blasted over their heads, wrenching a hole in the top of the Hogwarts Express. She narrowed her eyes, focusing on the silver masks, and shot spells with methodical precision.

In seconds, it was over. Silence reigned and the dust settled. Six Death Eaters were spread-eagled on the ground. Hermione hurried to take charge, gathering those that hadn't yet escaped together inside the barrier. Aurors arrived immediately, dashing around, surveying the scene, arresting the Death Eaters, and questioning everyone there.

Hermione shoved her wand into her pocket as she and Draco waited their turn. Her hands continued to shake. This was the Hogwarts Express. This was supposed to be _safe. _

"I don't understand," Hermione whispered.

Draco clutched her close but even that didn't help when the only person who could make her feel worse appeared.

Ron walked towards them, dressed in the Aurors' formal uniform and his clipboard still in his hand. He seemed to have recovered completely from the attack, except for a new scar clipping his cheekbone.

The words burst out of Hermione's mouth before she could stop them. "I see you're out of St. Mungo's."

Ron's eyes flashed suspiciously. "Yes, been back at work for a couple days now. We'd appreciate it if you didn't mention it. No one is supposed to know about that."

"I'm sorry that I'm _no one." _Fury and hurt welled up inside of her as he gave them a formal smile before focusing on the clipboard. Like they were just any other witnesses.

"It's classified, Hermione. I'm sorry. My boss will have my head if he finds out that anyone outside of my family knows." Hermione bit back the reply that she was sure Harry knew and seethed in silence. "Now can I get your statement?"

Hermione went first, explaining everything she'd seen with the Death Eaters before the Aurors had arrived, followed by Draco's side of the story. Ron barely seemed to be paying attention, eyes fixed on his clipboard as they were.

When Draco was done, Ron asked, "Did you call them?" He didn't even look up as he did it, still jotting notes on his sheet that he probably wouldn't even be able to read later.

"Ron!" Hermione protested. She couldn't believe that he would suggest something like that, or think that she wouldn't notice if Draco had.

"You of all people should know that the Marks don't work like that," Draco replied coldly. His spine was stiff as he radiated his old arrogant confidence.

Ron stared back at him, gaze equally frigid. "Perhaps you've found new methods of communicating. It does seem curious that they knew the exact moment that the train would arrive."

Draco started to take a step forwards, but Hermione squeezed his arm and he stopped. "If I'd called the Death Eaters here, why would I have attacked them?"

"Keeping up appearances." Ron shrugged.

"That's enough," Hermione growled, shaking with anger. "Are we done here?"

Ron tucked his clipboard under his arm. "I think that I have everything that I need. Have a good holiday."

"But what about the Death Eaters?" Hermione glanced around, but they'd been taken away in the aftermath of the fight. The station was mostly empty now, except for a few last witnesses and Aurors investigating the scene.

"We've got them," Ron replied. "You did great today, Hermione. Leave the rest of this to us. I think your parents are still waiting for you." With that, he gave them a last nod and brushed his fingertips over Hermione's arm in a reassuring touch before he walked away. Draco's face was stormy, like he wanted to go after Ron if she hadn't still been holding his hand.

Hermione huffed, taking a few deep breaths to calm the rage still boiling inside of her. She felt exhausted, like she could lay down right here on the platform and sleep for a year. "Come on," she said. "Let's go home."

If Draco found anything strange about her choice of words, he didn't say anything. He just squeezed her hand and followed her out of Platform 9 and 3/4.

Hermione's parents waited for them just outside the barrier. Her mother resembled her the most. They had the same shaped face, the same long curly brown hair—though her mother's was much tamer—and the same bright brown eyes. Her dad looked haggard with age but his face was split in a wide grin at their approach.

"Mum, Dad," Hermione began, nerves bubbling inside of her, "this is Draco Malfoy. Draco, these are my parents."

Draco straightened up the moment she said his name, an innocent expression that she didn't think she'd ever seen before covering his features. He offered his hand first to her dad and then to her mum. "It's very nice to meet you both," Draco said, voice laced with charm. "Thank you for allowing me to join you for Christmas."

Mr. Granger seemed slightly taken aback, but he recovered quickly. "It's nice to meet you, too. Was the train late?"

"Y-yes," Hermione stuttered. The fight and its aftermath had passed by in a blur so quickly that she hadn't realized they were late getting off the platform. "We ran into some delays."

Mrs. Granger clucked her tongue. "Why don't we go back home and let you two get settled in? I'm sure you're both tired after the trip."

Hermione wasn't sure what she felt. The Death Eater attack had sapped all of her energy, but at the same time she felt like a tightly coiled spring, ready to go off at any moment. Draco and her parents would be in the same house for all of break. It was madness. "That'd be great," she said.

Their car waited in the parking lot. Draco looked a little confused as he opened the door and climbed inside. His hand twitched towards his wand in his pocket when it roared to a start.

"So, Draco," Hermione's dad began, "where are your parents this Christmas?"

Hermione flinched, realizing she may have miscalculated in not telling her parents much about Draco and not discussing what they would say if he was asked questions like that.

"Away on business," Draco lied with the ease of a lifetime of practice. "Thanks again for allowing me to stay."

"Of course." Hermione recognized the roads flashing by. Not too much longer and she would be home. It felt like a lifetime since she'd been able to say that last.

"Are you a seventh-year as well?" her mum asked curiously.

"Yes, ma'am," Draco replied. "I decided to come—" He gave Hermione a quick, desperate glance. She nodded. "Decided to come back for the extra year."

If her parents noticed his hesitation, they didn't comment on it. "Do you have any plans for after graduation?"

"I would like to be a Healer," Draco replied, his voice strong and confident. "So I'll be headed straight to the Healers' Academy."

"And how long will that take?" her dad asked.

"Three years."

Hermione could see her dad's eyes widen, no doubt shocked that one could become a doctor in only three years, but the interrogation was forced to a close when they pulled into their driveway. Her house was two stories, thin, and weathered brick. She kept her gaze averted to her front yard, afraid that Draco wouldn't like it. He was used to such rich homes and gorgeous lawns.

She was so distracted that she didn't notice Draco getting out and coming around to her side of the car to open the door. "It's beautiful," he whispered in her ear as she stepped out. "I could never hate the place that you were raised."

Hermione smiled at him, but they were interrupted by her dad stepping around them to grab their bags from the boot. "Come on. I'll give you the tour." She grabbed his hand and they dashed up the stairs to the front door. The fight with the Death Eaters felt so far away. Now that Draco was here, she couldn't wait to show him her life.


	40. Chapter 40

_Hermione smiled at him, but they were interrupted by her dad stepping around them to grab their bags from the boot. "Come on. I'll give you the tour." She grabbed his hand and they dashed up the stairs to the front door. The fight with the Death Eaters felt so far away. Now that Draco was here, she couldn't wait to show him her life._

Through the front door was the foyer. It was tiny and mostly empty. A single chair sat in the corner, next to a strange plant that Hermione couldn't remember seeing before. It looked like something that would be more at home in the Australian outback.

"Welcome to my home," she said, trying to ignore the plant. "This is the living room." She led him through an archway to the left and into the room. The dining area sat to the right. There was the same oak dining table that she'd sat at all her life. It was a family heirloom, passed down to her dad from her grandfather. Along the back wall hung a square mirror above a set of cabinets where they kept the fine china.

In front of them was the couch facing the fireplace. To either side were bookshelves set into the wall behind glass doors. Immediately, Hermione remembered standing right here, watching her parents sitting on the couch.

It had been any other normal day. They'd just been sitting there, staring at the TV and sipping at cups of tea. She remembered watching them for a moment, wondering if they had any inkling of how much their lives were about to change, before she pulled out her wand.

Her eyes moved to the mantle, where all the photographs of her and her parents still sat.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked, squeezing her arm.

Hermione shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I'm fine. It's just…when the War was over and my parents came back, I didn't have a lot of time to just stop and think about everything. You know?"

Draco nodded. "I know." His hand slipped out from hers as he crossed the room and stopped at the mantle, taking in each picture with a smile. Hermione watched him, trying to figure out how he could look simultaneously out of place and right at home.

"How old were you here?" Draco asked, pointing at a photo of a young Hermione between her parents with a birthday cake in front of her.

"It was my fourth birthday." Hermione stepped over next to him and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"What about that one?"

Hermione smiled sadly. "We took that one a couple years ago." It had been right before she'd left for fifth year. Her dad looked so serious, but then again he'd never been all that comfortable in front of a camera.

Draco moved down the mantle and reached to pick up one of the frames. Hermione blushed scarlet red and rushed to snatch it out of his gaze. "Don't look at that one."

"Why?" Draco grinned and tried to grab it from her. "Let me see."

"No!" Hermione laughed and backed up until she hit the wall. "Draco."

"I could make you." Draco cornered her with his body and she could feel the heat of his breath on her neck. His chuckle was low and quiet in her ear as she hid the photo behind her back.

"You could try," Hermione whispered right before he kissed her. She was so caught up in the feel of his lips against hers that she didn't notice his hands sneaking around her back.

"Aha!" Draco called in triumph as he pulled away from her, frame held high in the air. Hermione laughed and leaned against him as he took in the photo of her as a kid, dressed in a white hoodie and a yellow ball cap that made her look like a duck.

"Don't laugh," she teased.

"You were so cute," Draco said as he put the frame back in its spot on the mantle.

"Are you saying I'm not now?"

Draco chuckled and tugged her in for a short kiss. "You're not cute. You're gorgeous."

"You're not so bad looking yourself." Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him back out of the living room. "Come on. There's still more to see."

Across the hall was the kitchen. It was small by normal standards but perfectly fine for the three of them. Hermione's mum stood inside, already making preparations for dinner.

"Hey, you two," she said when they poked their heads inside. "Draco, I hope you like beef stew."

"That sounds wonderful, Ms. Granger." Hermione couldn't stop marveling at the easy way Draco adopted an air of innocent charm. Her mum seemed to be taking pretty well to it, too, because she chuckled and smiled at him.

"I'm just going to show him around upstairs," Hermione said. She led him up the carpeted stairs without waiting for a reply. "That's the bathroom," she said nodding at the room at the end of the hall. "My dad's office." The closed door to the right. "My parents' bedroom." Closed door to the left. "And the guest room."

That was next to her dad's office and across the hall from her own room. It was small and simple, containing a twin bed, large vanity table, and a closet. The walls were pale green, coordinated with the green and grey carpeting. Hermione couldn't remember the last time anyone actually stayed in the room but she doubted any of them looked like they belonged like Draco did.

He even matched wrapped in his dark green cloak.

"I'm guessing this is where I'll be staying?" Draco asked, a glint in his eye as he took in the room. He brushed his fingers along the green and white checkered bedspread and snarled at his reflection in the vanity mirror.

"You guessed right." Hermione winked at him. "Come on. You can get settled after you see my room."

She headed across the hall, hesitating briefly at the door. She'd never shown anyone her room before. Not Ron, not Harry, not Ginny, not anyone. Not even those few people she'd counted friends before she'd gone to Hogwarts.

"You don't have to show me," Draco murmured, his voice serious and soothing. "It's okay."

"I want to." Hermione pushed the door open in a fit of conviction and waved him inside.

It was exactly as she'd left it. The walls were pale pink, as they'd been since she'd picked out the color when she was six. Her twin bed pushed up against one wall with a trunk at the foot of it. Her favorite chair, light blue and worn, was shoved into the corner in front of a bookcase that towered from floor to ceiling. Below the window and set into the wall between bookcases was her white wooden desk, littered with old homework in an "organized chaos" sort of way.

"This is it," Hermione said, waiting for Draco to say something.

He wandered around, taking everything in. "It's all very you." He smiled at the collage of photographs—Muggle and magical—next to her bed and skimmed his fingers down over the titles of the books on her shelves. Hermione sat down on the edge of her bed, just watching him. She wondered if Draco knew how much it meant for her to have him here.

Hermione decided he did when he walked over and kissed her so gently she could feel the sweetness straight down to her toes. When he pulled away, she stretched out on her back and patted the bed next to her. Draco obliged, walking around to the other side to settle down next to her.

"This is where you grew up?" he asked.

"Yep. I picked out this color pink when I was six years old. We moved in when I was two, but as far as I remember, we've always lived here." Hermione closed her eyes, settling her head against Draco's chest. He was warm and comfortable, and she could hear his heart beating underneath her.

"It seems like a great place."

"It is." She could feel herself starting to drift off, exhausted by the train ride and the fight with the Death Eaters and the nerves over introducing Draco to her parents. "Thank you."

Draco asked, "For what?" but Hermione was already asleep.

When she woke, Draco was gone. Hermione blinked, disoriented by her surroundings. It took her a moment to remember that she was home and Draco was around here somewhere.

She checked the guest room first to see if he'd gone to unpack, but his bags were still on the floor next to his bed. She dashed down the stairs but he wasn't in the living room.

"Have you seen Draco?" Hermione asked her mum in the kitchen. Anxiety rose into her throat and she struggled to make sure the words came out evenly.

"He said he was going out for a walk about an hour ago." Her mum smiled at her from where she was stirring the stew on the stove. "I'm sure he'll be back soon. Is everything okay?" Hermione could tell from the soft expression on her mum's face that she'd failed in sounding calm and it hit her how little her parents really knew about her and Draco's world.

"Yeah, fine." Hermione tried to smile while nerves bubbled inside of her again. Draco had never been here before, as far as she knew. What if he got lost? What if the Death Eaters found him somehow? "Thanks." Hermione wandered back into the living room and fixed her eyes on the blank TV. A part of her wanted to go find him but if he wanted some air—and everything really was fine—then she wanted to give him the alone time.

He'd be fine. If anything happened, Draco could take care of himself.

It was another twenty minutes before the door creaked open and Draco walked in. He was wearing a ratty pair of trousers that looked a little too big for him and a Manchester United sweatshirt. Hermione resisted the urge to throw her arms around him in a hug now that she knew he was okay.

"I'm sorry," Draco said as he joined her in the living room. "I just wanted to go for a walk and I hoped that I would get back before you woke up."

"It's okay," Hermione replied. "Where did you get those clothes?"

"Your dad gave them to me." He tugged at the sweatshirt self-consciously. "Is it okay if I put my robes back on now?"

Hermione laughed and jerked her head towards the stairs. "Go ahead."

Draco looked relieved as he dashed out of the room. When he was gone, Hermione let the smile slip off her face. Would this be her life from now on? Constantly wondering whether Draco was okay. Always looking over her shoulder and his for Death Eaters, even when they thought they would be safe. If the Death Eaters had dared attack the students and their families getting off the Hogwarts Express, would they think twice about attacking her and Draco here, at her parents' house?

Fear washed over Hermione like a tidal wave. She'd worked so hard to keep her family safe during the War and now that she finally had them back, she didn't know if she could keep protecting them. Was it wrong for her to bring Draco here and everything that he meant? Where did it all stop?

She was still thinking about it when Draco walked back in, wearing his everyday robes once more. "Hey, you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She forced a smile onto her face as he joined her on the couch.

Draco pushed her hair back out of her face, searching her eyes. "You can talk to me."

"I know." Hermione cuddled closer to him, wanting nothing more in that moment than to be close to him. She didn't want to burden him with her worries of his safety and that of her family. He had enough to worry about on his own. "Everything's fine."

Draco nodded, but he didn't look convinced. Hermione's mum chose that moment to shout, "Dinner!" from the kitchen. He stood again, starting for the kitchen to help.

"Are you coming?" he asked over his shoulder.

Hermione smiled for real this time. "Yeah. I'm coming," she said before following him into the kitchen.

**A/N: Reviews are much loved! I might be posting a little bit late over the next couple weeks, it's the middle of the semester and ****_everything_**** is due. Hermine's house was based off a combination of the scenes from the beginning of Deathly Hallows Part 1 and my imagination. **


	41. Chapter 41

_"Are you coming?" he asked over his shoulder. _

_Hermione smiled for real this time. "Yeah. I'm coming," she said before following him into the kitchen._

Hermione's nerves were on edge for the first few minutes of dinner, but it wasn't long before she realized that she had no reason to worry. Her parents chatted easily about the happenings in the neighborhood, catching her up on the gossip. Hermione didn't have a lot of interest in it much anymore, but it was one of the few topics that she could talk about with her parents without worrying about letting something slip.

It was maddening, but she got by.

"I'm sorry, Draco," Hermione's mum said after about a half hour of this. "We must be boring you."

"No. I'm not bored." If anything, Draco looked fascinated by everything that they'd been saying. But then this was his first real experience with Muggles. The gossip wasn't all that different from the wizarding world—who'd had a child, who was getting married, that sort of thing—but there were some bits—neighbors who got arrested, family members who changed jobs—that he probably hadn't heard much about.

"Well then," she replied with a smile. "I think that's all the news from around here. What about you two? How is the year going?"

Hermione glanced at Draco. "It's going well. It's been a long few months with schoolwork and being Head Girl." And deciding to date the boy she'd always hated, being ostracized by the entire school, losing all of her friends in one go.

"What about you, Draco? Looking forward to being done?"

"Definitely." Draco had that innocent, eager look back on his face again. Hermione was starting to wonder if this was what was behind that mask all the time or if this was a mask in itself. It scared her that wasn't sure which Malfoy was the real one. She wasn't sure if even he knew the true answer to that. Though, she'd like to believe that she'd seen him at least once, when they were alone and his guards fell. "It's been a good year, though."

Hermione tensed up a bit again as her parents questioned Draco about his time at Hogwarts, but she had no reason to worry. Draco didn't lie, but he was a master at omission. It wasn't long before dinner was finished and her parents released them from helping clean up—for tonight at least—so that Draco could get settled.

"Your parents are really nice," Draco said as he sat his trunk on the bed to unpack. "I don't have much in way of comparison but…"

It hit Hermione that he didn't just mean with his parents, since his friends' parents weren't any better. "They're great. I should probably let you get settled."

"No." Draco stopped her with a word. "Stay, it's fine."

Hermione sat down on the edge of the bed, wringing her hands. She couldn't remember feeling this awkward alone with Draco in a long time and she wasn't entirely sure why she was feeling it now. "What do you think about the neighborhood?"

"It's nice. Quiet. It doesn't look all that different from other neighborhoods. Well, apart from the Christmas decorations. Why don't your parents have any up?"

Hermione shrugged. She had too much else on her mind to really notice but now she was starting to wonder the same thing. "Maybe they want me to help put them up? It used to be tradition but once I started going to Hogwarts, well, it wasn't as easy to make time. They always tried to have them up before I got home…"

"What kinds of things do you usually have?"

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but she was distracted when he opened his trunk. It wasn't even half full and most of the contents were robes. "How do you not have any Muggle clothing?"

"I didn't need it." He rolled his shoulders as he started to pull out robes. "I've never really worn anything other than robes for most of my life. And, you know, suits." He pulled out a suit coat and pants folded up in plastic.

"Tomorrow. Shopping trip. We're going to need to get you some things if we want to leave the house. International Statute of Secrecy, and all."

"Fine." Draco smirked. Hermione watched him for a few more minutes before she slipped off the bed and went downstairs. Her parents were still in the kitchen, finishing up the last of the dishes.

"Draco's just getting settled in," Hermione said as she walked in. "We're going to get him some Muggle clothes tomorrow."

"Good idea," her mum replied. "Your dad's stuff doesn't really fit him." She chuckled as she scrubbed at the bottom of a pot.

Hermione paused and asked the question that had been bothering her since Draco brought it up. She missed helping her parents decorate, but she was used to coming home to a tree and garlands hanging from the banister. After all the changes over the past few months, she didn't know what to do with this one. They'd always been the one constant in her life. "Why haven't you decorated for Christmas?"

"We figured it would be better to wait for you to get here," her dad replied. "Do it with all of us together."

Hermione nodded, reassured. Her mom tossed her a dish cloth and gestured for her to take over drying. Hermione chuckled as she obeyed, handing off the dishes to her dad to put away. They worked easily in tandem, the way that only comes from years of practice and familiarity.

"What do you think about Draco?" she asked in a low voice.

"He seems like a nice boy," her mum replied, but her eyes seemed a little cautious. "He's not just a friend that needed a place to stay for Christmas, is he?"

Hermione opened her mouth. Closed it again. Hesitated. They hadn't exactly been secretive about it, but she was still worried that they might be mad at her for withholding the truth. "He's my boyfriend," she admitted.

"How long?" her dad asked.

"Almost two months." Had it really been that short of a time? She felt like they'd been together for a lifetime.

"You're being safe?" Her mum hovered anxiously next to her.

"Mom!" Hermione resisted the urge to duck her face into the dish towel. "We're not…no. I promise." She waited through the awkward silence for them to say that Draco couldn't stay anymore, but they didn't. When she couldn't take it any longer, she said, "He just really need a place to stay, with his family away and all. And I wanted you to meet him."

"He must be special," her mum said. _He is, _Hermione thought, but she didn't say anything more. She helped to finish off the dishes and headed back up the stairs to see how Draco was coming along.

He'd finished unpacking his trunk and was currently exploring all the nooks and crannies of his room. "What's this?" he asked, holding up a battered shoe box.

"Where did you find that?" Hermione reached for it and he handed it to her. She brought it to the bed and pulled off the lid. Her fingers shook slightly as she peeked inside. Draco sat down next to her and looked over her shoulder. "I haven't seen this since I was nine. It's just a bunch of keepsakes." Hermione reached out and started picking through them. There was the friendship bracelet she made at eight. Her first report card. A figurine made out of clay. A feather. A crocheted hat from when she was a baby.

"Is that the rose you charmed purple for your mum?" Draco asked, pointing at the pressed remains of a flower.

Hermione nodded, brushing a finger over the petals. "It is. When it started wilting, I stole it. I still don't think she knows that I have it."

Draco was reaching for her report card to take a look when a shout from downstairs interrupted them. "Hermione!" It was her dad.

"I'd better go see what's going on," Hermione said, pushing herself off the bed. Draco left the box where it was and followed her downstairs.

"Yes?" Hermione said as she reached the bottom. Her parents were in the living room, standing in front of the TV. The news was playing, the familiar platforms of King's Cross blazoned across the screen.

_Shooting in King's Cross, _the headline read.

The reporter was still talking but Hermione had trouble taking in a single word of it. On half of the screen was a police sketch of a man. It wasn't his face—round, with dark eyes and busy eyebrows—that looked familiar.

It was his dress. The sketch revealed that he was wrapped in a black cloak embroidered with a silver serpent. A chilling mask hung next to his collar. In his hand, of all things, was a gun. He was clearly a Death Eater but Hermione didn't recognize him. She gave Draco a pointed glance, but he shook his head ever so slightly in return.

"What's going on?" Hermione's dad asked them. "Did anything happen on the train?"

"No," Hermione stuttered. The police sketch disappeared but she could still see it etched across her mind. Snatches from the reporter flitted through her mind. "…_six shots fired_…_no one was injured…suspect still at large…if anyone has any information, please come forward…" _

"It must have happened before the train arrived or after. Maybe that's why we were delayed," Draco suggested softly. Hermione barely noticed the way his arm slipped comfortingly around her waist. She pulled her eyes from the TV, looking to her parents instead.

Her dad nodded and backed away to sit on the couch. The news moved on to a water main break on the other side of London. She wished that she could talk to Ron or Harry or Ginny, just to get their side of what was going on. None of this made any sense.

Hermione had tried for as long as she could to keep her life compartmentalized, to protect her parents from the dark side of being a part of the magical world. But how long would that last when she couldn't even get through one day of a normal Christmas holiday?


	42. Chapter 42

_Hermione had tried for as long as she could to keep her life compartmentalized, to protect her parents from the dark side of being a part of the magical world. But how long would that last when she couldn't even get through one day of a normal Christmas holiday?_

Hermione awoke, disoriented, the next morning. The ceiling above her was familiar but strangely so, like she'd gone back in time. It took her a few moments to remember that she was at home and that Draco was just down the hall.

They'd gone to bed late the night before, coming upstairs together and pausing in the hallway outside Draco's room for a kiss. As exhausted as Hermione had felt, it didn't stop her from lying in bed until the early hours of the morning, unable to get her brain to shut down for the night. She'd been powerfully aware of Draco just down the hall and how much she wished they were curled up next to each other like they sometimes did in the Room of Requirement.

She stretched her arms above her head, glancing out the window at the familiar sight of the tree just outside. Snow fell in twirling flurries against a flat gray sky.

Hermione was just thinking that she should go check on Draco when he burst into her room. "Good mo—" Her words were cut off as he tossed a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ onto the bed next to her.

"Read it," Draco said. His expression was stormy, rumbling with cold fury. It made him revert back to his old stock-straight posture and imperious expression, like some sort of dark prince of old. He paced up and down the floor like he couldn't stay still.

Hermione obeyed, sitting up and balancing the newspaper in front of her. _Death Eaters Attack the Hogwarts Express. _Her stomach churned as she scanned down the article.

_On what was intended to be a happy occasion of Hogwarts students returning home for the holidays, Platform 9 and 3/4s was attacked by Death Eaters soon after the arrival of the train. Aurors report that all of the attackers were caught and are being questioned. Minor injuries were reported. _

_Another incident in King's Cross an hour later involved a possible Death Eater wielding a gun in the station. Six shots were fired but no one was injured. The suspect is still at large. Aurors are seeking any information that could lead to his capture. _

_"We will release information as soon as we are sure of the facts," a representative of the Auror Office said. A Ministry insider that asked to remain nameless indicated that more attacks could be upcoming, but whether there is any information on where or when the attacks will take place is as yet unknown. _

Draco sat down next to her as she read. His face was grave and his hands fiddled with the hem of his robe in his lap. "I don't understand any of this," Hermione whispered when she was done.

"I was one of them and I don't understand," Draco replied. It was the first time Hermione could remember him speaking of his past so matter-of-factly. "We never would have done something like this. We attacked Hogwarts, yes, but that was for Harry. The Death Eaters already held the school; there was nothing more for us there. But the Hogwarts Express…where's the goal?"

Hermione wasn't sure how to react to this new rise of knowledge over Death Eater battle strategy. For a moment she wondered if maybe Draco _should_ be with his mother and the Aurors, helping them. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying they didn't get these ideas from the Dar—Voldemort." Hermione ignores the slight falter over the name. "Someone else is holding the reins now."

"So why the attack? Why the gun? Why any of this?" Hermione pushed her face into her hands. She was afraid for her old friends and her family and Draco and herself.

"They're going to figure this out and they're going to catch them," Draco said with conviction. "After all, you did last time."

That seemed like centuries ago, even though it hadn't even been a year. Hermione let her hands drop away as she looked up at him. His silver eyes glittered with determination and she nodded. "I'm not going to let them interrupt my Christmas. Not again." She threw her blankets back. "Come on. We're going shopping today and we'd better get ready."

"Are you sure?" Draco asked. He stayed sitting on the bed while Hermione went to her closet and started sorting through things. She turned around, fixing her gaze on him. There must have been something scary about it because he recoiled slightly and nodded before heading back to the guest room.

Twenty minutes later, Hermione stepped downstairs to find it silent. In the kitchen was a note—_Went into work for a few hours. Have fun shopping. Love, Mum—_and a wad of bills. Hermione stuffed them into her pocket and went to explore the fridge. By the time Draco came down, his hair still damp from a shower, the smell of french toast was filling the whole house.

"What can I do?" Draco asked. Hermione handed him the spatula in reply and went to slice bananas. They worked in silence for a while, her mind wandering to the idea that maybe she could get used to this.

"Um…" Draco stood at the counter, staring down at the sizzling pan. "They're done, I think?"

Hermione chuckled and stood next to him. The pieces of french toast were a little burnt, but still fine. She grabbed the spatula from him and scooped them out on the plate. "Here. Watch me."

Draco watched her as she cooked a couple more pieces, flipping them every so often to make sure that each side came out an even brown. Draco's hand wandered to her waist, thumb tracing circles on her skin, and almost making her burn it. The outside world faded away into the distance, leaving just the two of them working in tandem like they had in Potions.

"Got it?" she asked as she handed him back the spatula.

He smirked at her. "I think I've got it."

"Good. Don't burn them." She finished slicing another banana and set them aside in a bowl. The syrup was in the cupboard along with a bag of powdered sugar. She put them both next to the bananas.

When the french toast was done—and not burnt this time—they split the stack. Hermione made hers into a tower, bananas and powdered sugar between each level. Draco scattered his across a plate, drowning the whole thing in syrup and sugar.

"Where are we going today?" Draco asked.

"You'll see." Hermione smirked, knowing he wouldn't let it go that easily. She didn't see anything wrong with a little surprise, especially since he didn't actually know the places she planned to take him.

"How are we going to get there?"

"Walk."

Draco's forehead crinkled like he couldn't imagine why anyone would want to just walk anywhere, not when there was Floo powder and Apparition and brooms. "We can't Apparate?"

"I want you to get the full experience of the Muggle world," Hermione teased. "Plus I don't want to scare the living daylights out of anyone by Apparating on top of them. I don't think the Ministry would approve."

"Fine." Draco sulked for a moment, devouring french toast at an amazing rate. "Is it just me, or does food taste better when you make it yourself?"

"That's because it's made with love." She wrinkled her nose, cringing at how corny that sounded, even as she laughed remembering her mum saying the same thing when she was young.

"Love? Is that what the stuff was you were mixing together?"

She almost choked in her rush to laugh. "It's a figure of speech."

"Seriously, though, where are we going?" Draco's eyes glinted with the desire to unravel the mystery.

"If you're trying to surprise me into answering, then you're going to have to try a little harder than that."

"Is that a challenge?"

Hermione smirked back at him. "To you, everything's a challenge."

"Fair enough." Draco asked her no less than four more times where they were going—pairing one of those questions with a very persuasive kiss—but Hermione refused to elaborate and he was still sulking as they stepped outside.

He reached for her hand as they turned and followed the sidewalk. The clouds had cleared, leaving behind a rare day of sunshine. A light layer of snow glittered on the lawns. Strings of lights hung from eaves while Christmas trees peeked out of windows.

The walk to the nearest shopping centre was about forty-five minutes but it was a nice day and Hermione had already charmed her clothes to keep her warm. The building was decorated with fake snow and plenty of lights. Christmas music played in the speakers above and the whole place bustled with shoppers.

"This is where we are going," Hermione said as they stepped through the doors. Draco looked around with wide eyes, so quickly that it was like he was trying to take in everything at once.

"It's like Diagon Alley," Draco muttered. "But all in one building."

"Yes, that is kind of the point of a shopping centre." Hermione laughed and tugged him in the direction of one of her favorite shops. "Come on. Let's see about getting you some new clothes."

"What size do you wear?" Hermione asked as she paused at a rack of nice-looking button-up shirts. Draco stared blankly back at her. "Okay…first thing we should do is figure that out." She pulled a few choices off the racks of various sizes and handed them to him.

"Absolutely not," Draco said, pushing away a shirt in a deep shade of mauve. "That's pink."

"It's not pink." Hermione tried to slip it into his arms while he wasn't looking. He caught her and she sighed, placing back on the shelves. "Fine. What would you like, then?"

"That one." Draco pointed at a dark green shirt instead. Hermione looked back on him with raised eyebrows. Most of the ones she'd already handed him were black or green, with the exception of a color or two. "That's me."

"Okay." She handed him the shirt. "Go try those on."

"Where?"

"Back there." Hermione pointed toward the dressing rooms at the back of the store. "And come out so I can see."

"I think I know how to tell if my clothes fit," Draco replied without a hint of malice but within five minutes he was back, wearing a dark blue button-up that was obviously too small.

"Try the next size up," she said, trying not to laugh.

Draco snorted in response. "Why can't you just use magic?"

Hermione gave him a look and he ducked his head, returning to the dressing room. He came back wearing a dark red shirt that looked about right. Not to mention the sight of him in it took her breath away. "Okay, that works. Go change back and give me that one."

Size in mind this time, she hunted down a couple more button-ups, some more casual shirts, and a few pairs of pants. "If there's anything you want, just grab it," Hermione said, realizing that she was the only one that seemed to be picking anything out. "These are _your_ clothes after all."

Draco startled like he hadn't noticed that he was just following her around the store instead of actually looking. After that he seemed a bit more willing, picking out a jumper or two on his own. Once her arms were full, Hermione sent Draco back into the dressing room.

"Why do I have to try all of this on if I know it fits?" Draco asked, frowning as she shoved the armful of clothes at him.

"Because you want to make sure that it fits well and looks good," Hermione replied, nudging him into an open room. "And because I like torturing you."

Draco smirked at her, eyebrow cocked. "You're going to pay for this."

Hermione returned the look and reached in to close the door between them. She leaned against the wall outside and her smirk disappeared when she felt a strange itch on the back of her neck. It felt like someone was watching them. She closed her hand around the wand concealed in her jeans, looking intently around.

There didn't seem to be anyone out of place. Just the usual people out shopping. No one was even looking at her. Still, the feeling didn't go away.

Hermione almost whipped out her wand, heart racing, when Draco opened the door next to her. "These all—are you okay?"

"Yeah." Hermione smiled at him, forcing her grip away from her wand. "You just startled me. You were saying?"

"These all fit." He held up part of the stack of clothes, looking back like he thought someone might be behind him.

"I don't get to see you in them?" Hermione winked at him even as the prickling continued. She glanced quickly over his shoulder at the rest of the store, trying to catch sight of anything out of place. Nothing.

Draco glanced back once more, looking around, but didn't question her. "Later," he replied with a smirk. "Where to next?"

"We buy these," Hermione said, "and then I say we do a little exploring."

Draco nodded and she led him over to the cashier. He seemed fascinated by the whole process, especially the removal of the anti-theft devices ("Charms are so much better," he whispered into her ear) and the money she handed over ("Why does it look so strange? And who is that on the front?").

Laden down with their purchases, they wandered the rest of the shopping centre, occasionally ducking into a store but mostly just window shopping.

"We should get Christmas presents," Draco suggested. "While we're here."

It hit Hermione that she hadn't really thought about what to get Draco for Christmas, what with everything else going on. What does one get for a boy who has everything, except that which really matters? "Yeah, we should." The itching feeling on the back of her neck was gone and she was starting to feel elated again. "But we should probably split up. So it's a surprise, you know?"

Draco nodded in agreement and released her hand. "I'll meet you in an hour at that place with all the food. Okay?"

"Okay." She felt a little jolt as he walked away but she shook it off and scanned the shops around her. Where should she even start?

In the end, Hermione figured she'd just wander around until something caught her attention. There had to be _something_ in this place that Draco would like.

She only had fifteen more minutes until she was due to meet Draco when she spotted it in a little store that she'd never been into before. A scarf hung on a rack, a thick woolen scarf in silver with gold threads weaved throughout. It would be perfect.

As she was walking to the register, a thick leather-bound notebook caught her attention. She flipped through the pages, an idea growing in her mind. She bought them both and made sure they were wrapped up twice so Draco wouldn't be able to guess.

Hermione walked out in the direction of the food court and the feeling of being watched blasted her again. She froze, scanning the crowd. A dark figure slipped away and she pushed through the people, trying to follow whoever it was, but as she turned the corner there was no one to be seen.

_It's nothing,_ she told herself. _My mind is just playing tricks on me. _Still, she didn't stop glancing over her shoulder as she went to meet Draco.

He didn't seem to have any extra bags with him. "Didn't have any luck?" Hermione asked, struggling to keep her voice even.

"I had plenty of luck." He rustled the bag full of his clothes and, presumably, her Christmas presents.

"Good." Hermione glanced around and hesitated before saying, "Do you feel like we're being watched?"

"Something like that." Draco glanced around them with anxious eyes. "Why? Did you see something?"

"I thought I saw someone following me." She rolled her shoulders, keeping her voice low. "I'm not sure. I've just had this weird feeling."

Draco nodded. "I'll keep an eye out. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. Let's go home." They gathered up their purchases and left the store hurriedly. Gone was the relaxed pace of earlier in the day. Draco didn't seem to be on edge—which reassured her-but that didn't stop either of them from glancing back every so often to be sure. Hermione figured that if anyone could give a tailing Death Eater the slip, it was him.

If Hermione took them on a longer, circuitous route there, then she was just being safe. Only once they were both closed away in her house did she start to relax again. Here they would be fine. The charms left by the Aurors were still in place and she'd taken the time to put down her own, just to be sure.


	43. Chapter 43

_If Hermione took them on a longer, circuitous route there, then she was just being safe. Only once they were both closed away in her house did she start to relax again. Here they would be fine. The charms left by the Aurors were still in place and she'd taken the time to put down her own, just to be sure._

Hermione went to store Draco's presents away in her room, hiding them carefully under a false bottom in a desk drawer before she went to help him to put away his new wardrobe. She trusted him, but definitely not with the temptation of peeking at his own presents.

She'd just slid the closet door closed when she heard the front door open. Hermione bounded down the stairs, wand out, and rushed to hide it away when she saw her dad hanging up his keys.

"How was work?" she asked, relieved that the both of them were all right. She definitely wouldn't put it past Death Eaters to attack them at the office, especially now.

"Work." Her dad sighed. "I mean, it was good. A couple emergency fillings. How was shopping, sweetie?"

"It was good. The shops were busy but not all that busy for the Saturday before Christmas." She took his coat as he slipped it off and hung it on the rack. "I think we bought enough."

"Good." Her dad moved out of the way as her mum opened the door. Hermione got out from underfoot. She lurked in the living room, curling up on the couch to read. After about a half hour, Draco joined her, sitting at her feet. Pots and pans clashed in the kitchen as her parents made dinner.

Afterwards, the four of them arranged themselves in the living room in front of the TV. Hermione put in the first DVD her hands touched.

"What is this?" Draco whispered.

"It's _The Muppets Christmas Carol_. We watch it every year," Hermione whispered back. "It's tradition." She snuggled closer to him and he put his arm around her. As the movie went on, Hermione found herself looking more and more at Draco. She'd seen this movie so many times that she knew it all by heart but this was Draco's first time.

His eyes were fixed on the TV, wide and curious. During dramatic moments, his grip around her tightened ever so slightly. It was fascinating to watch and she felt strangely honored to be a part of it. The fact that it was a kids' movie made the whole thing even sweeter, since he probably hadn't had a lot of chances as a kid for this sort of thing.

When it was over, Hermione stirred and stretched. "What did you think?" she asked him.

"That was great." His eyes were a little glassy, the way they always were when his mind was far away considering something. "Are all Muggle movies like that?"

"Like what?"

"So…" He ground his teeth, looking for the right words. "Full of hope?"

Hermione smiled. "Not all of them. Maybe we can find some time to watch a few more. We do have all of our holiday after all."

"I'd like that." He was looking at her with shining eyes. Hermione forgot that her parents were there until her dad stood up and cleared his throat.

"Good night, both of you," he said before heading upstairs.

"Good night." Hermione yawned and slid off the couch. "We should probably go to bed too. It's been a long day."

"I'm fine," Draco insisted right before he yawned. "Okay, I'll come up."

Hermione laughed and tugged him up the stairs. She pulled him around outside of his door, pressing a surprise kiss against his lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he responded, kissing her breathless, before pulling away and whispering, "Now will you tell me what my present is?"

"Never," she whispered back and he kissed her again.

"I'm going to find out." His voice was pitched lower and it made a shiver run down her spine.

"I think you're missing the point of a surprise."

They kissed once more before Hermione whirled away from him. "Good night, Draco."

"Good night, Hermione." She shivered again at the sound of her name, still special after all this time, before disappearing into her room.

Sunday dawned overcast and dreary, without a sign of snow to soften the gloomy atmosphere. Hermione slept in, unable to convince herself to get out of bed, before finally managing to drag herself out. She found Draco downstairs, helping her dad bring in boxes of Christmas decorations from the garage. Her mum stood in the kitchen, cooking bacon from the smell of it.

"Anything I can do?" Hermione asked her mum.

She pointed to a bowl of pancake batter waiting next to the stove. "You can help make pancakes."

"All right." Hermione settled happily into the task. By the time the pancakes and bacon were done, Draco and her dad had finished and were sitting at the table. Her dad questioned Draco about magical politics and Draco was explaining as best he could without mentioning the War (difficult to do, since their last three Ministers had been directly involved in it).

"Tell me," he said as Hermione and her mum joined them at the table, "how did you meet Hermione?"

Draco waited for the split second when both of her parents were preoccupied by their pancakes before he glanced anxiously at Hermione. She nodded reassurance to him, knowing that it would look too awkward if she answered.

"Classes at Hogwarts and studying together in the library," Draco said. "We were in different Houses, but the same year so I knew Hermione but I never really had the chance…" He trailed off and Hermione met his eyes with a hesitant smile. She remembered the pink orchid and all those days in the library and working together in Potions. Even now it felt like years ago.

"These are delicious, Mum," Hermione said after a moment, hoping to change the subject and steer it into safer territory.

After breakfast began the extensive process of putting up the decorations. Hermione and Draco were assigned the task of putting up the tree.

"What is this?" Draco asked as he opened the box and looked over the twisted bunches of fake branches. "This isn't a tree."

"You have to put it together," Hermione explained, starting to pull out the parts. "It's a fake tree."

"What do you mean it's a fake tree?" Draco looked strangely scandalized.

"We don't have a real tree so we put up this instead." Hermione held up the stand and a branch to demonstrate. "We used to get a real one every year but eventually it just became too difficult."

"Okay." Draco still looked confused but he helped her as best he could anyway. Hermione explained the color coding for how the branches had to be arranged and demonstrated how to pull apart the twigs to form the full branches.

"If your hand twitches to your wand one more time, I'm going to take it away," Hermione threatened. They'd only finished the first layer of branches but Draco looked like he was going to whip out his wand any second.

"But we could have this tree up in seconds," Draco pointed out.

"No." Hermione's tone was firm but she couldn't stop laughing. She'd never really thought about how much Draco—and even herself—relied on magic until they tried to do everything by hand.

They were about halfway through the tree when an owl swooped down the chimney and landed on the newest layer of branches. Hermione jumped as she noticed a letter tied to its leg. She released the owl of its burden and unfolded it with shaking hands.

_Hermione—_

_There's been a new attack. A wizard family on the other side of London. I can't say too much here, but I just wanted you to know before the _Prophet_ tomorrow. Be careful. We're not sure what they're planning, but you know as well as I do that it's not good for us. The Ministry is working on it. Keep yourself and your family safe. _

_—Ron_

Hermione went pale and sat down hard on the edge of the couch. She handed the letter to Draco before he could ask her what was going on.

"Do you want to send a reply?" Draco asked. Hermione shook her head and he gathered the owl onto his arm, opening the door and watching as it flew away. She stayed where she was as he came back and rested a hand on her shoulder. "We'll protect them," Draco whispered. "You're not alone this time."

Hermione nodded and smiled at him. "We shouldn't have come. They wouldn't be in danger if we'd just stayed at Hogwarts."

"You can't say that." Draco stroked her hair back away from her face. "If you being gone was the only thing that needed to be done to protect them, you wouldn't have had to send them away last time."

Hermione knew he was right but she hated to know that was true. Her family was threatened simply by her existence, by her involvement in this seemingly neverending war.

"It's better that you're here. At least with us, we can fight if anything were to happen." Draco wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "I won't let anything happen to them."

His words sent a bolt of lightning through her heart and she let a tear slip down the side of her face. Here was the boy who once might have been ordered to kill them all promising to do whatever he could to protect them. "Thank you," Hermione whispered.

"Always." Draco pulled away. "Now let's finish this tree. What exactly are these other boxes for, anyway?"

"The decorations." Hermione let him distract her as she stood up to get started on the rest of the branches. "The garland and the lights and the bulbs and the angel for the top."

"I'm guessing we can't use magic for those either?"

"No. We can't." Hermione laughed as Draco groaned and pretended that his knees were going to fall out from under him.

Despite the jokes, she thought he might actually cry when they opened the boxes and started pulling out the decorations. "The lights go on first," she instructed.

"Are you sure we can't just use our wands?" Draco asked as he pulled out a tangled mess of lights. It consisted of about three strings, but it was impossible to know where one ended and the others began. "Your parents are outside. They won't even notice the difference."

"You wanted to come home with me," Hermione reminded him. "But I think we can…" She pulled out her wand and flicked it at the tangle of lights. Instantly, they organized themselves into not three but four clean coils.

"I'm telling!" Draco teased.

Hermione stuck her tongue at him. "I could always put them back if you want to untangle them yourself."

"That's okay," he said hurriedly. "This is perfectly fine."

"That's what I thought." She gathered up the first coil and started from the top, stringing them along in neat circles. She stood on one side of the tree with Draco on the other, the two of them passing the coils around and around. As she settled into the movements, Hermione's mind wandered back to the letter and her muscles tensed as if for a fight. Draco seemed equally distracted, staring into the tree like it was a crystal ball. Hermione thought about saying something, reassuring him that his mother would be okay, but the right words wouldn't come.

They'd just finished with the lights when Hermione's mum walked into the living room carrying a plate of sandwiches. "Looks great," she said, taking in the tree with a smile. "It's really starting to feel like Christmas around here again. I think you deserve a break."

Draco dropped himself down on the couch with a sigh and accepted the plate. "Thank you, Mrs. Granger."

"You're welcome. Enjoy. I better go back sure your dad hasn't fallen off the ladder in the time I've been gone." She disappeared back out of the room and Hermione heard the front door snap closed.

"What was that about a ladder?" Draco asked, biting into a sandwich.

Hermione picked out one for herself and sat down next to him. "How else do you expect us to get the lights along the top of the house?"

Draco's forehead crinkled again. "Point taken."

The second owl arrived as Hermione and Draco finished up the last of the sandwiches. Hermione's heart pounded against her ribs as she took the letter. This one was more official looking, a rush memo from the _Daily Prophet, _most likely to all of their subscribers.

_Three new attacks by Death Eaters have been reported. The first took place early this morning on a wizarding residence in London. Details have not yet been released, but a Ministry spokesperson said that one victim is in St. Mungo's but expected to make a full recovery. _

_The second attack was on a Muggle restaurant in Bath. Three Muggles were killed in a mass shooting in the establishment, but it is being reported that the attacker was indeed a Death Eater. _

_The third attack took place an hour ago when Death Eaters attempted to infiltrate Diagon Alley. Only minor injuries were reported and all Death Eaters involved were caught, Aurors say. _

_All witches and wizards are asked to take reasonable precautions during this time. If anything is known about the Death Eaters, the Auror Office asks that you contact them. A full report will be made in tomorrow's issue of the _Prophet.

"Three attacks?" Hermione murmured. "They're getting worse. And they're not making any more sense." The Death Eaters she'd known wouldn't have touched a gun, let alone known how to work one.

"I know," Draco said from where he'd been reading over her shoulder. "At least they caught the ones in Diagon Alley. That should bring their numbers down a bit."

"I don't think it's going to stop them."

Draco shook his head and watched as Hermione tossed the memo over the grate and into the blazing fire. "I don't think so either."

"Come on." Hermione started pulling out garland with more force than was necessary. "Let's just finish this tree."

By the time they were done, Hermione was so exhausted that she didn't have the energy to worry. She fell back onto the couch, surveying their handiwork with a grin.

The tree looked perfect, lit up with fine white lights and covered with strands of thick garland, bulbs of various colors, and a glittering angel at the top. They'd also strung a strand of garland over the mantle and put up little snow figurines around the room. She started to hum "_It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" _when Draco interrupted her.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's a song." Hermione went back to humming it, watching him listen. "About how it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."

"Sounds accurate." Draco sat next to her, slinging an arm easily around her shoulders. They both groaned when Hermione's mum called them outside.

"I think your dad needs a little help," she told them, staring up at him at the top of the ladder. "Can one of you give him a hand?"

"Sure," Draco offered. She directed him to a ladder and Hermione hovered anxiously as he rested it against the house and climbed up. The lights were almost completely up. It was just the last and highest string that was left to be done. Her hand reached for her wand, just in case.

As Draco reached for the string of lights her dad handed him, the strand got caught up in his sleeve. He growled his frustration and pushed them up without thinking about it.

Even from the ground, Hermione could catch a glimpse of the full glory of his Dark Mark. The black of the brand was stark against his white skin and in the bright of the day. She glanced at her parents, trying to make sure they hadn't seen it.

From the look of surprise on her mum's face and the stormy expression on her dad's, there was no way she could convince herself that they'd missed it.


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N: Thank you for being patient with me. It's been a crazy few weeks, but I am _finally_ back and writing again. ****  
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_As Draco reached for the string of lights her dad handed him, the strand got caught up in his sleeve. He growled his frustration and pushed them up without thinking about it. _

_Even from the ground, Hermione could catch a glimpse of the full glory of his Dark Mark. The black of the brand was stark against his white skin and in the bright of the day. She glanced at her parents, trying to make sure they hadn't seen it. _

_From the look of surprise on her mum's face and the stormy expression on her dad's, there was no way she could convince herself that they'd missed it._

Draco rushed to pull down his sleeve, but it was too late. They all remained silent as they finished up the lights and Hermione's parents headed into the house.

"I'm sorry," Draco said as he stepped off the ladder. His cheeks were tinted pink with embarrassment instead of the cold. He paced up and down in front of her like he couldn't stand still.

Hermione stopped him with a touch on his wrist. "It's okay. I'll figure something out." She smiled in reassurance while her mind raced. She didn't think her parents knew what the Dark Mark meant, but she didn't think it would just pass them by. A skull paired with a snake wasn't exactly a butterfly tattoo.

Maybe she could still pass it off as a normal tattoo. That would at least be better than a symbol of a murderous group of dark wizards.

"I'm going to go talk to them," Hermione decided.

Draco nodded. "I think…I think I'm going to go for a walk."

"Be careful." She let go of his wrist in way of permission. She didn't want to think about the Death Eaters that may have been following them the day before. She wished that she could ask Draco to go back in the house with her, so that she would know he was safe, but he looked enough like a caged animal already.

"I will be." Draco turned and walked away. Hermione watched him until he disappeared down the street. Then she sighed and went to find her parents.

Her mum was sitting in the living room, flicking through TV channels even though it was on mute. Her dad paced the floor in front of the fireplace.

"I—" Hermione didn't know what she was about to say and she didn't get the chance to find out.

"What is he mixed up in? Is it gangs? Do wizards have gangs?" her dad said, his voice strangely manic and rushed.

In a way, Hermione supposed they did. She could feel the anger rising up, making her blood race through her veins like fire. "Do you really think that I would get involved with someone like that? Anything that he's done is in the past now."

"Nothing is ever in the past." He paused for a moment and Hermione got the feeling that he wasn't just talking about Draco. "So you admit that he is involved in something?"

"_Was._ It was his family."

Hermione's mum spoke up for the first time. "Is it drugs? Has he threatened you or anything?"

"Mum!" Hermione's eyes widened. She felt like she was surrounded. This wasn't going the way that she wanted it to at all. "There are no drugs, and I'd curse him into oblivion if he tried."

"Are you saying it's just a tattoo? Because I swear I've seen that somewhere before and I know it wasn't some peace symbol," her dad interrupted.

They'd seen the Dark Mark before? When? It had to be before Australia, but she would have thought that the Ministry would have tracked down any Muggles that spotted something like that. She glanced down and a newspaper resting on the edge of the coffee table caught her attention. Maybe he'd seen it in the _Prophet. _She'd tried to keep her copies out of the way, but she hadn't protected them like they were state secrets.

"His father is in prison," Hermione said carefully. By the way her dad threw up his hands, she probably shouldn't have started there. "His family threw in their lot with dark wizards before Draco was even born."

"Are we harboring some kind of wizard criminal?"

"No!" Hermione had a sudden urge to go outside, grab Draco, and Apparate away, but she forced herself to stay still. In the process, she looked out and her breath caught in her throat. Across the street, standing directly in front of their neighbor's house and not even trying to blend in, was a cloaked figure. It's features were obscured, making it impossible to tell if it was even a man or a woman.

Hermione blinked and the figure was gone. She was staring so intently out the window, still trying to decide if the figure had really been there or not, that she almost missed her dad's next words.

"You lied to us. You said that his parents were away on business."

Hermione backpedaled hard. "His mother is away on business. I wasn't lying when I said that he doesn't have anywhere else to go."

"Is that supposed to make it okay?"

"Draco's getting his life together. He wants to be a Healer and he's going to be great at it. You liked him just fine until a few minutes ago."

"That doesn't mean that I'm okay with having him under my roof now. I don't want him dragging you into whatever he's involved in. I want him gone."

Time stood still. Hermione sat down hard on the couch. She thought it was a little late to be worrying about that, considering she'd been dragged into it all years ago when she accepted Ron and Harry as best friends. The only sound was the soft crackle of the fire in the grate. "It's Christmas. Where is he supposed to go?"

"Back to Hogwarts?" Her dad looked like he really didn't care. "Or he can join his mother wherever she is."

"He hasn't _done anything,_" Hermione snapped. "I'm sorry that we lied to you but it wasn't my secret to tell." She let that settle in the air before she added, "If he leaves, then I do too."

Her mum's eyes flashed with sadness as she stared at the floor. "Ian, at least let's hear her out," she said softly.

Her dad halted his pacing. "Explain," he said, his tone calmer now.

Hermione nodded. "Before Draco was born, his parents joined up with a group of dark wizards. The group disbanded at one point but then their leader came back and they were forced into it again. In the end, they changed sides but his dad still went to prison. His mum's working to round up any remaining members of the group. Draco isn't a part of it anymore. He'd be helping his mum if she'd let him."

Hermione's dad nodded slowly. Silence filled the room like smoke. "It is Christmas," Hermione's mum said thoughtfully, clearing it away.

"Fine. Draco can stay until after Christmas and then I want him out of my house. I might not know exactly what he was mixed up in, but that doesn't mean I want you involved."

Hermione frowned, but she knew she wasn't likely to get anything better tonight. "Yes, Dad." She stood up and bolted for the stairs.

Draco returned about twenty minutes later. Hermione heard the door downstairs click closed softly and then footsteps on the stairs.

"Well?" Draco asked as he pushed open her door.

Hermione forced a smile onto her face. "Everything's fine. You can stay. I smoothed everything over."

If Draco was suspicious, he didn't show it. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to her and threw his arm over her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I should have been more careful."

"Accidents happen," Hermione replied, a little too off-hand. A shadow hung over them, the shared thought that the Mark was never going to go away. She tried to make up for it by leaning over and pressing a kiss against his lips. He responded slowly and carefully.

"Did you see anything while you were outside?" she asked once they pulled away.

Draco shook his head. "No, I didn't. I wasn't being tailed or anything either. I checked. Why? Did you see something while I was gone?"

"I thought I did." Hermione sighed. "Just for a split second, though. Whoever it was disappeared before I could get a good look."

"It's probably nothing." He smiled but it clearly looked forced. "Not everyone who looks strange is a Death Eater. Now, come on." Draco slid off the bed and offered her a hand. "We should probably do something so your dad doesn't think I'm up here corrupting his only daughter."

Hermione chuckled, but took his hand.

They spent most of the rest of the evening downstairs in the living room, watching various Christmas specials. Hermione could hear her dad banging around the kitchen. Her mum was probably getting some last minute work done.

Every so often one of them would peek into the living room and Hermione would smile at them. Draco was the picture of politeness, staying quiet and out of the way and thanking Hermione's dad when he asked them if they wanted anything to drink.

Dinner was a silent affair. The tension weighed in the air, but no one seemed willing to break it. Afterward, Hermione and Draco stumbled upstairs. The tension remained as they paused in the hallway for a moment.

"I'm going to wrap your presents," she said.

Draco nodded. She waited for him to make another move to try to convince her to tell them what they were. Instead he said, "I think I'm going to wrap yours too" before he disappeared into the guest room. Hermione sighed and locked herself away in her own room.

Her hands shook slightly as she covered them in rich green and gold wrapping paper and stacked them on her desk. There were three in all, plus one each for her parents. If she expected Draco to try to catch her in the middle of it, Hermione was disappointed.

When she went to say goodnight to him, the lights in his room were already off. Hermione walked back to her own room and climbed between the sheets, staring at the ceiling until the early hours of the morning.

A part of Hermione feared that Draco would be gone when she rolled out of bed the next morning, but there he was curled up in the living room. Hermione assumed from the keys still hanging inside the foyer that her parents were still in bed.

"Good morning," Hermione murmured as she slid onto the couch next to Draco.

"Morning," Draco replied. He didn't look up at her, didn't reach to pull her in. He just kept staring at the floor. Hermione followed his gaze to a packed bag.

Her heart started to pound against her ribs. "What is this?"

"My stuff." Draco kicked the bag. "I think that it's time for me to leave, don't you? I know that you feel it. I'm not wanted here."

Hermione snuggled closer to him, like she could keep him there with sheer force of will. "I want you here."

"I heard them, Hermione," Draco snapped. "I was outside and I heard the whole thing." His eyes flashed and he moved away from her touch. "When were you going to tell me that I'm supposed to be out of this house after Christmas? When were you going to tell me that you _lied?" _

Underneath the layers of hardness and anger in his voice, Hermione could hear the undertones of hurt. That alone rocked her to the core.

"I thought that I could change their minds," she said, her voice barely more than a squeak. "I'm sorry that I lied. I didn't know how to tell you."

"What if they didn't change their minds? What then?"

Hermione didn't know how to answer that. She hadn't quite thought that far ahead, hadn't been able to figure out the solution to that problem. "Then I would have left with you."

Draco stood up and swung his bag over his shoulder. He paused in front of her before Hermione could get up to stop him from going any further. "I can't come between you and your family," Draco said, keeping his voice low. "Don't worry about me. I'll see you at Hogwarts."

He swept out of the living room and Hermione rushed after him, catching his wrist as he reached for the front door. She said the only thing that came to mind, "What about your presents?"

Draco didn't even crack a smile. "You can give them to me later. Yours are on my bed." He opened the door and Hermione's grip tightened on him.

His word choice of _my_ was not lost on her. "You can't leave the day before Christmas Eve. My parents will come around, I promise. They liked you. _Like_ you."

"I don't deserve to be here with you, with your family. I don't deserve any of this. Your life was almost destroyed because of people like me." His voice sounded raw, as if each new word burned like acid as it came out.

"You do deserve it," Hermione whispered. She didn't know when they'd gotten so close, but they were almost pressed up against each other. All she knew was that she wanted to hug him, but she didn't know if he would accept it.

Hermione leaned in ever so slightly, feeling the light touch of his breath against her face. When he didn't shift away, she kissed him. It was feather-light and sweet, with just the slightest bit of desperation. She brought her arms up tentatively around him.

"I love you," Hermione murmured into his ear as she pulled away. Draco relaxed into her arms, sagging down. She held her breath as she waited for his response.

The three words that came weren't the ones she hoped for, but it was enough. "I will stay." As they held each other, Hermione peeked over his shoulder. She jerked away from him, fear bolting through her like lightning. The cloaked figure was once more standing on the other side of the street, leaning against a tree this time and obviously watching them.


	45. Chapter 45

_"I love you," Hermione murmured into his ear as she pulled away. Draco relaxed into her arms, sagging down. She held her breath as she waited for his response. _

_The three words that came weren't the ones she hoped for, but it was enough. "I will stay." As they held each other, Hermione peeked over his shoulder. She jerked away from him, fear bolting through her like lightning. The cloaked figure was once more standing on the other side of the street, leaning against a tree this time and obviously watching them._

Hermione tried to bolt after them but she was hindered by Draco, still standing with his back to the door. By the time she was able to push her way past him, the figure had already started moving down the street. It glided more than ran, reminding her of a dementor.

But that was impossible. There weren't any dementors left, not here anyway. And she wasn't experiencing that soul-deep cold or the paralyzing grip of despair that always accompanied them. No, this figure was most definitely human.

It took Draco a few seconds to react, so by the time she heard his footsteps behind her she was already across the lawn and on the edge of the street. As she started to cross, the figure broke into a run.

They chased it flat-out until it reached the end of the street and darted around a corner.

When Hermione turned to look where it had gone, the figure had disappeared once more.

"It wasn't my imagination," Hermione gasped, leaning over as she tried to catch her breath. "That was the figure I saw yesterday. The same one. It had to be."

"I saw them." Draco paced in tight circles, eyes searching like he was trying to see everything at once. "Any idea who it might have been?"

Hermione shook her head. "None." Whoever it was, they were obviously a very capable runner. Average build and a bit taller than she was. Not that that really gave them much to go on. She felt a surge of fear as she realized that maybe the figure was just part of a trap, meant to lure them both away from her house.

"We need to get back home," Hermione said and she took off at a run again.

The front door was still open. She listened carefully as she stepped inside, but the house was quiet. Hermione made her way inside, wand out, and down the hall. She jumped slightly when Draco closed the door behind her.

"I'll check upstairs," Draco whispered. "You check on your parents."

Hermione nodded to show that she'd heard and continued down the hall. Her parent's door was still closed. She paused outside, listening but all was quiet. "_Hominem revelio,_" she murmured, unable to believe that she hadn't thought to do that when she'd entered the house.

Only two people in the room. One upstairs, obviously Draco.

She backed away from the door and tip-toed upstairs. "Nothing," she said when she found Draco in the guest room.

They retreated back to the living room and sat on the couch. Draco didn't reach for her, but she could feel the warmth of his side against hers. She leaned until her head rested on his shoulder. She felt exhausted, like she could fall asleep any second.

"I'm so tired of this," Hermione admitted.

"Me too." Draco paused and tentatively wrapped his arm around her.

Hermione couldn't stop looking out the window as the day passed, but the figure didn't reappear. She was thankful that neither of her parents had to go into work today. She felt better keeping them within the bounds of her magical protections.

After lunch, Hermione locked herself away in her room with all the textbooks she could get her hands on, searching for more spells that might help. She set protection and alert spells all around the house, stopping short of turning her house into Grimmauld Place. She couldn't keep out Muggles—that would cause more problems—but she could do her best to keep out other wizards.

"If you go anywhere," Hermione said when she emerged and found Draco sitting in the guest room, "here are a list of the protective spells on here. So that you can get back in."

Draco nodded, eyes moving as he skimmed the paper. "Most people don't even go to half this trouble. I don't think we had nearly as many wards around the Manor. We're going to be fine."

Hermione nodded, thankful that he was trying to reassure her, but it wasn't really working. She'd feel a whole lot better with the last of the Death Eaters behind bars and she didn't feel like she had to look over her shoulder everywhere she went.

Dinner was less tense than it had been the day before, or maybe Hermione was just too distracted to notice it as much.

"Is there anything that the two of you would like to do? For Christmas?" her dad asked, raising his eyebrows as he looked between the two of them. He was smiling and his tone seemed pleasant enough.

"I thought we'd just stay in," Hermione answered hurriedly. "You know, open presents and drink hot chocolate and just relax." Normally they'd spend some time outside on Christmas Eve. Perhaps go for a drive to see the lights. Play in the snow if there was enough of it.

Her parents shared a surprised glance, but they nodded. "That sounds lovely," her mum said. "What about you Draco? Is there anything special that you would like to do?"

Draco looked surprised that they even acknowledged him there. He shrugged, a polite smile on his face. "We didn't really have any Christmas traditions in my family." His nose scrunched up the tiniest bit as he said it.

"All right," her mum said, nodding thoughtfully. "Whatever you'd like."

When Hermione went to bed that night, she could hear the soft tones of Christmas music coming up the stairs. Despite the weight of all her worries, she smiled and let it lull her to sleep.

Christmas Eve dawned with a light snow falling outside the windows. Hermione rolled over and smiled at the large flakes gently drifting down. The entire house was filled with the scent of cinnamon.

Hermione got out of bed and dashed down the stairs in her pajamas, feeling like she was five years old again. There were the presents stacked under the tree late last night. There were her parents making French toast in the kitchen like they did every Christmas Eve.

"Good morning," Hermione said brightly as she walked through.

"Good morning, dear," her mum answered, flipping another piece of French toast. "If you want anything with these, you'd better get it out."

Hermione opened the fridge, considering the contents with a slight frown. In the end she pulled out a couple packages of blueberries and carried them to the fridge to rinse.

She was pouring them into a bowl to put on the table when she felt a pair of eyes watching her. Hermione turned around to see Draco lurking in the foyer, a smile on his face. "Hi," he mouthed.

She crooked her finger and motioned him inside in answer. He chuckled and crossed the hall to enter the kitchen. "Is there anything I can carry?" he asked.

Before Hermione could answer, her mum pointed the spatula at a pitcher of milk. "That can go out. And so can the blueberries. These will be done in a few minutes."

Breakfast was almost pleasant in comparison to the awkwardness of their previous meals. Draco asked questions about Muggle Christmas customs—like how the lights worked—and while her parents seemed a little thrown, they both seemed willing to explain things for him. Her dad seemed frosty at first, but he melted a little as time went on and answered as many of the questions as Hermione's mum.

"Did I do okay?" Draco asked when the two of them stood in the kitchen alone washing up the dishes.

"You did great," Hermione reassured. "I don't think my dad was very impressed, though, when you asked if we leave the ladders up against the house year-round."

"I'm sorry." Draco looked like a lost puppy in his confusion.

Hermione laughed. "Don't worry about it."

Once the dishes were done, Hermione found her parents in the living room. Her dad was flipping through the channels, never settling on anything for more than a few seconds. Her mum was riffling through a newspaper.

Hermione knew immediately that they were starting to get restless. This would be about the time they'd head out for a drive.

She glanced instinctively out the window, checking to make sure they weren't being watched. The street was empty. Even so, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Unfortunately her parents didn't share the sentiment. Her dad shut off the TV and sighed. "What do you say we go for a drive?"

"Or we could watch a movie." Hermione dropped down on the floor and started to reach for the cabinet where they kept all the movies. "Just watch it snow."

"You don't have to come with us, sweetie," her mum said, putting the newspaper aside.

If they were going out, Hermione would rather go with them than let them go out alone. She nodded. "All right."

She felt like a rabbit exposed to a hawk the moment they all stepped outside. It was only when they were all in the car that she let out a sigh of relief, but even that didn't last long. The car didn't have the same protections on it that the house did. It moved too much and was too risky that someone would notice something strange. There was nothing to stop the Death Eaters from attacking them here.

Draco reached over the seat and rested his hand on top of hers as they pulled out of the driveway. "It's okay," he mouthed when she turned to look at him.

Hermione nodded and forced a smile.

They were on a lone street, houses on either side. It was mostly empty; most people seemed to be avoiding the outside in favor of a warm fireside. The lights were beautiful, but Hermione had trouble paying attention to them. She was too busy trying to see in every direction at once, looking for dark, cloaked figures in the shadows and behind bushes.

Her heart jumped into her throat when she thought she spotted one, hiding behind a particularly tall snowman. Then she realized it was just some kid hiding from her brother in the middle of a snowball fight.

They made it around London in a few hours and back home without incident. Back in the warmth and safety of the house, Hermione settled in on the couch while her parents went to see about dinner.

After dinner, Hermione's mum made everyone hot chocolate with plenty of marshmallows while her dad filled up the fireplace.

"Who is ready for presents?" her mum asked once they were all settled in the living room. Hermione's parents sat on the couch, curled up together while Hermione and Draco took the floor. The warmth from the fireplace at Hermione's back made her feel sleepy.

"But don't you open presents on Christmas Day?" Draco asked. His presents were sitting in a little pile next to Hermione's. He eyed them like he thought he could see through the wrapping to the gifts inside if he tried hard enough.

"It's tradition for everyone to open one present on Christmas Eve," Hermione's mum replied. "Why don't you choose first, Hermione?"

Hermione nodded and stretched out her arms to her stack. She reached for the largest at the bottom. "No, not that one!" her dad shouted.

She startled, but reached for the one above it instead.

"Not that one either." Hermione sat back in a huff. "I'm kidding, pick whichever one you want."

She snatched the one off the top, shaking with laugher, before he could say anything else. The present was small, only large enough to fit in the palm of her hand, and light. The wrapping paper was white with gold designs, a tag with Draco's formal-looking signature on top.

"Draco, you pick next," Hermione's mum suggested. "Once everyone has a present, we'll open."

"Take this one," Hermione said, picking up a box from the bottom and handing it to him. She had to work hard to suppress her laughter as she did.

Her mum picked the largest of her presents and her dad the heaviest one on the bottom. Once they were all settled, the sound of ripping paper filled the air as they tore into them. Hermione only picked at a corner of her present, too busy watching Draco to focus.

He tore through the paper like an impatient child, opened the box, and froze. His eyes were wide as he pulled out a Christmas jumper.

It was the ugliest one that Hermione could find: brown, with Christmas trees and snowflakes and a gingerbread house right in the center. She couldn't take it anymore as she broke down into laughter.

Draco looked at the sweater, up at her, and then back at the sweater. A smile grew on his face as it dawned on him. He stared her down, a mischievous glint to his eyes, as he pulled the sweater over his head.

"You don't have to—" Hermione said, but he was already wearing it.

"I know," he whispered and his gaze sent a shiver down her spine. She knew that he was trying to tell her _I want to kiss you so badly right now but I won't in front of your parents. _She nodded ever so slightly, trying to tell him _Later_ as she handed him another present.

"Because that one was a joke, I think it's okay if you open another one just this once," she teased.

Draco nodded at the box in her hands. "Open yours first."

Hermione glanced at her parents to realize that she was the only one left that hadn't opened her present. Her dad was already flipping through the book on history that she'd bought him, while her mom clasped a simple pearl necklace around her neck.

"Okay," Hermione agreed. She opened her present slowly, savoring the moments of anticipation, until she revealed a blue velvet box. She opened it up and her breath left her lungs in a rush. It was a pair of earrings: the dangly kind made of three silver orchids and a teardrop-shaped ruby. "They're gorgeous," she murmured, looking wide-eyed at Draco.

"Let's see," her dad said, breaking the moment.

Hermione held them up and her parents oo-ed and ah-ed for a few minutes before Hermione was able to turn her attention back to Draco. He'd already unwrapped his second gift and was running his hands over the gold and silver scarf.

"It'll look good on you," Hermione whispered to him.

They stayed downstairs for a couple more hours, just watching television and admiring each others' gifts, before Draco and Hermione retreated upstairs.

Outside her bedroom, Draco whirled her around and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Thank you." Hermione slid her hands underneath the Christmas jumper. "You really didn't have to put this on, you know."

"You can take it off, if you like." He smirked at her.

Hermione winked back. "Maybe next time." She kissed him one more time, lazily, before slipping out of his arms. "Good night." She smiled at him as she closed the door.

Two hours later and it was clear Hermione wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon. She felt restless; every little sound in the house made her think that a Death Eater had somehow managed to slip through her defenses.

It wasn't until she went downstairs for the third time—just to make sure everything was secure—that she found herself outside Draco's room. She leaned her forehead against the cold wood for a moment before she knocked.

Draco opened the door. His hair stuck up in every direction, but his eyes were wide open. "Can't sleep either?" Hermione whispered.

"No." Draco went back to the bed and stretched out on his back, staring at the ceiling. Wordlessly, he pulled back the sheets next to him.

Hermione climbed inside, snuggling up to his warmth. "I feel like something is wrong, but I don't know what."

"I feel it too." Draco wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "I know it's not, but I feel like this is my fault. Like I somehow dragged you into this."

"I was born into this." It wasn't Harry or Ron or Draco that had brought her into this War. It was Voldemort and the Death Eaters and the mere fact that she'd been a Muggleborn. "It wasn't your fault. You were never even given a choice."

Draco shuddered as her fingertips moved up his arm and found the Dark Mark. "I had a choice. I could have said no. I could have fled."

"You would have died."

"Maybe." He seemed to be on the verge of saying something else, but Hermione leaned across him and pressed her lips to his elbow, just above the Mark.

"It's a part of you now," she murmured into his skin. "But it's also in the past. What you do now is more important than what you did then."

Draco didn't respond to that. "Do you really think your parents will let me stay?"

"If you're leaving after tomorrow, we should make the most of it." She snuggled closer, resting her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. They didn't speak again and, slowly, they drifted off to sleep.

When Hermione awoke the next morning, it was with a pounding heart. The ceiling above her wasn't familiar and it took her a few seconds, and the soft movement of Draco next to her, before she remembered that she'd spent the night in the guest room.

It was another few seconds before she realized what had woken her in the first place.

The steady knocking of someone downstairs. Hermione froze in bed, but the knocking continued, growing steadily more frantic.


	46. Chapter 46

_When Hermione awoke the next morning, it was with a pounding heart. The ceiling above her wasn't familiar and it took her a few seconds, and the soft movement of Draco next to her, before she remembered that she'd spent the night in the guest room. _

_It was another few seconds before she realized what had woken her in the first place. _

_The steady knocking of someone downstairs. Hermione froze in bed, but the knocking continued, growing steadily more frantic._

Hermione pushed aside the warmth of the blankets and wiggled her way out from under Draco's arms. He opened his eyes at her movement, blinking up at her. "I should probably go check it out," she said. He nodded, stretching quickly before rolling over to grab his wand.

When she arrived at the bottom of the stairs, her parents were stepping out of the bedroom, blinking sleep from their eyes. "I'll get it," Hermione insisted with a smile. She mumbled a quick spell and then opened the door.

Harry and Ginny stood on the other side, looking no less confused than she felt. They seemed grim when Hermione stared back at them. They were dressed warmly, in winter cloaks over Muggle clothing, and matching unsmiling expressions. Fear almost knocked Hermione to her knees. Whatever the news was, it wasn't good.

"We need to talk," Ginny said, her voice grave.

Hermione held up her hand, holding them outside. Her instincts told her that these were her friends, that she could trust them, but she hadn't survived the War for nothing. "What was the spell that Ron was trying to perform on the train the day we met?"

"He was trying to turn Scabbers yellow," Harry answered automatically, while Ginny just raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"Come inside," Hermione said, moving out of the way. She felt strangely stiff as she said it, but she wasn't going to turn them away. Anything that could bring the two of them here had to be serious. Draco wasn't behind her when she turned around which meant he was probably lurking on the stairs. "Sorry, but I had to be sure. We can talk in here."

Harry and Ginny nodded, stopping in the foyer. They glanced quickly at her parents still standing in the hall and back at Hermione. She nodded in answer, smiling at her parents. "This is Harry and Ginny. They're friends of mine from Hogwarts; I've told you about them. Go back to bed."

"It's nice to meet you," Hermione's mum replied. "Do you need anything? Breakfast?"

"It's fine, Mum." Hermione tried to keep her tone light. There might not be any time to waste. "Don't worry about it."

Finally the two of them nodded and headed back into the bedroom. Hermione led Harry and Ginny into the living room, where she settled on the couch. They stayed standing. Draco wandered in and settled next to Hermione, his expression hard as if daring anyone here to ask him to leave.

"What is this about?" Hermione asked.

Harry and Ginny glanced at each other and then he spoke. "I guess we should just start from the beginning. A group of Aurors went out last night, trying to head off a Death Eater attack that was planned for today. They didn't come back."

Hermione reached automatically for Draco. He twined his fingers through hers in answer. If Harry or Ginny noticed, they didn't show it. "Ron?" she asked.

"Ron was with them," Ginny said, her face tight. Each word sounded hollow and expressionless. "We're going to get them back. And we want you to come with us."

"Why? We're not Aurors." Hermione didn't know why she was saying it. She'd never hesitated to go to her friends' rescue before, but somehow this felt different.

"Because the Auror Office is stretched thin," Harry said, his voice snapping like a whip in the air. "And because the three of us aren't the only ones with loved ones that are in there."

Everyone's eyes turned to Draco. He stared back at them, gaze wide. "Mum?"

"She was part of the group. She led them to the Aurors in the first place, but the information was faulty. There turned out to be a lot more Death Eaters hiding out there than expected," Harry said.

Draco stood up so fast he almost brought Hermione with him. She let her fingers slip out of his. "Let's go," he said.

Harry stepped up until the two of them were standing face-to-face. The two Chosen Ones, the light and the dark, staring each other down. "You're not coming with us," Harry said.

"Stop me," Draco hissed, venom in every note. "That's my mum that's in there too and you can't come busting in here and tell us that she's in trouble and expect me to just sit around, twiddling my thumbs. If Hermione is going with you, then _so am I." _

"How did you even know he'd be here?" Hermione asked, standing up next to Draco.

"We didn't," Ginny replied. "We came here for you, actually."

"So if I hadn't stayed with Hermione, no one would have taken the second to tell me that my mother could be in danger?" Draco growled, his fists clenching at his sides.

Harry shrugged. "The point is you are here, you know now, and you're not coming with us. There will be enough Death Eaters there without bringing one with us."

Hermione opened her mouth to protest, to point out that if their situation was reversed and someone Harry loved was in danger, he wouldn't just sit at home and wait for news. But Draco got to it first. "If you leave me here, you'll have to knock me out. Because I will follow you whether you want me to or not."

"That can be arranged," Harry said.

"We're wasting time," Hermione said, a little louder than necessary. She glanced over her shoulder at her parents' room and lowered her voice as she continued, "If you want me to come with you, then Draco is coming with us. His mother is in there too."

Ginny tugged at the ends of her hair. "All right. He can come but one sign of betrayal and I'll kill him myself," she said in a voice that was raw and true as an Unbreakable Vow.

"Understood," Draco said, his head bent slightly. He met Ginny's gaze easily, but it was clear in that moment who was in charge.

Harry nodded, abrupt and short. "Let's go then."

"Just…give me one minute," Hermione said as she started walking down the hall to her parents' room. They were both fully dressed and just sitting on the end of the bed. Her mum at least was pretending to brush her hair.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, keeping her voice as bright as possible. "There's something that I need to take care of. I'll be back in time for lunch, okay?"

Her throat burned with the lies, but she had to. She needed to protect them. "What's going on, sweetie?" her mum asked, eyes wide with anxiety. "Is something wrong?"

Hermione shook her head. "Just a bit of an emergency with a mutual friend. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine." Struck with a blast of emotion, she hurried across the room and wrapped them both in a hug. "I'll be back soon."

She expected them to try to stop her, but they didn't. She found the others still standing in the living room, obviously avoiding looking at each other. "Come on," Hermione said.

Under Harry and Ginny's direction, they Apparated into a mostly abandoned sector of London. The buildings looked sorrowful in the bright light of the morning. Snow dusted everything in a light layer like sugar.

"There aren't any wizards in this area," Draco whispered as they gathered into the dark of an alleyway. "What are we doing here?"

"This is where the group of Aurors was going," Ginny responded. "As far as we know, they never left."

"What are we going to do?" Draco asked scathingly. "We can't just walk in there. There's only four of us and you just said they overwhelmed a team of trained Aurors. It's a suicide mission." He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the brick wall. His new woolen jumper rasped against the textured surface.

Ginny stared back, matching him glare for glare. "We have something the Auror team didn't," she said. "Hermione."

Hermione straightened up under their gaze. The whole thing sounded crazy, but she'd once helped plot the break-in at the Ministry of Magic and another one at Gringotts. Between the four of them, they could do this.

"We also have this," Harry interrupted, whipping a familiar bundle out from under his cloak.

"You're going to disguise yourself as a ghost?" Draco asked sarcastically. "What's next, muffins filled with a sleeping potion?" He looked like he wasn't sure if he was about to laugh or punch something.

Harry didn't answer. Staring Draco down, he whirled the cloak around himself and vanished.

Draco stumbled back, pressing his entire body against the brick wall behind him. "I knew it!" he yelled, still staring at the place where Harry used to stand.

"Not now," Hermione murmured to him, wrapping her hand around his wrist. "We need to get going."

Harry reappeared, holding up the Cloak for them. Hermione slid under it on one side of him, Ginny on the other.

"We're not going to fit," Draco protested. "That thing's barely big enough for two."

"We'll fit," Hermione replied with confidence. The Cloak had never let them down before. She reached out and pulled him under next to her. He slipped an arm around her waist, scrunching even closer, as the Cloak closed down around them.

They followed Harry's lead painstakingly down the street and into an abandoned building. It was dark and silent inside. Hermione braced herself for the creaking of floorboards beneath their feet, but there was none. They moved with almost complete silence, only the slight rustling of the Cloak around them.

The room was completely bare, dark brown wallpaper hanging from the walls in places. The only light came through spaces in the boarded-up windows. At the back were a set of rickety stairs that led down into the basement. It wasn't long before the sound of voices echoed from below them. They continued, down and down, into the damp until they reached the bottom.

The lack of enchantments and guards made Hermione feel anxious. They should have come into contact with _something. _Even a simple Caterwauling Charm on the first floor would have been enough, but there was nothing. Either these Death Eaters didn't care for safety, or they wanted to be found.

The four of them froze as they stepped into the basement, taking in the sight in front of them.

The basement was a lot larger than Hermione expected, brightly lit in comparison to the rest of the building, and filled with people. There were tables and chairs and couches, all looking brand new.

Draco's breath caught in his throat. Hermione followed his gaze to the back of the room. There were the Aurors, all of them tied to chairs with what looked like ordinary rope. Hermione assumed that it must have been cursed. They all seemed to be conscious and alert, glaring furiously at the Death Eaters in front of them. Narcissa sat in the middle, her head down. Every so often she shifted against her bounds.

Draco clenched his fists and started to inch forward like he was planning to rush out from under the Cloak. Hermione braced an arm in front of his chest and shook her head ever so slightly.

They moved to the side out of the way of the stairs to observe. Most of the Death Eaters were dressed in the usual robes, but some of them seemed to be wearing Muggle clothes. They didn't seem to be paying any attention at all to their captives. Instead they were gathered in clusters, just chatting and laughing like students at lunch. It was hard for Hermione to count, as they seemed to be spilled everywhere and constantly moving, but she had to guess they were outnumbered about six to one. There was Augustus Rookwood, whom she'd thought was in prison. Rabastan Lestrange, Bellatrix's brother-in-law. A few more looked familiar—probably from posters—but the rest she'd never seen before.

Hermione wondered if they should attack now, catching the Death Eaters unaware. The only problem would be how to signal that to the others. She started to turn to them, raising her hands, when silence fell over the room. Hermione's blood turned to ice as she heard footsteps on the stairs.

She wasn't sure who could dominate a room like that without even being in it, but she wasn't sure that she wanted to meet them.

It was only a few seconds before the new arrival stepped off the stairs. His hair was long and black, slicked cleanly into order. He carried his head high and moved like he owned the place. Hermione could swear that she had seen him somewhere before.

"Rodolphus Lestrange," Draco breathed.

Of course. She remembered his picture in the papers as a known Death Eater. So this was Bellatrix Lestrange's husband. He looked much more methodical than she had, more organized but no less brutal.

"Why didn't you tell me we have guests?" Rodolphus asked.

Hermione expected him to head to the back of the room to inspect the captives, but he paid them no more attention than the others. Even when Narcissa stirred and fixed him with a glare that would melt ice.

Instead, he turned his attention to the corner where the four of them were huddled. Hermione hunched down more, wondering if he could see their feet, but something told her that they were completely covered. The Cloak would make sure of it.

The other Death Eaters appeared just as confused as she felt. They looked around, like they were checking to make sure they knew everyone there.

Rodolphus waved his wand and a gust of air blasted through the basement. Hermione grabbed to keep the Cloak around them, but it was too late. The four teenagers pulled their wands as a room full of Death Eaters fixed their eyes on them.


	47. Chapter 47

_Rodolphus waved his wand and a gust of air blasted through the basement. Hermione grabbed to keep the Cloak around them, but it was too late. The four teenagers pulled their wands as a room full of Death Eaters fixed their eyes on them._

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Rodolphus asked, holding his hands out like he was welcoming them to his home.

Draco stepped up, narrowing his eyes. Hermione and the others tensed, waiting for blows that didn't come. "You know why we're here."

"I'm afraid I don't. It can't be for the traitor and her keepers because you wouldn't really think that I would let them go so easily." Rodolphus's voice was low, dangerous, with an erratic note of insanity. He couldn't seem to hold still, pacing back and forth by only a couple of steps.

Hermione glanced around at the Death Eaters surrounding them. A couple had moved forward to block their escape route up the stairs. She ran through the options and came up empty. They could either fight their way out.

Or surrender.

Neither of them seemed like attractive options. She hoped Draco knew what he was doing.

Her mind started to prepare for the fight in case something went wrong. Most of the Death Eaters already had their wands in their hands, but a few were armed with, of all things, guns. Hermione caught the eye of a stubby man and raised her eyebrows.

"A gun can kill as easily as a curse," he hissed at her. "And is harder to deflect."

"Quiet," Rodolphus snapped.

Draco's eyes flashed and the corners of his mouth shifted into a smirk. "We never would have used guns. What's next? Clubs and spears?"

Rodolphus's pacing quickened. "If that's what is necessary to win this war," he hissed, "then yes."

"Didn't anyone tell you?" Draco looked haughty, in his element. He looked right down the lengths of the wands leveled at them and smirked at the wizards on the other end. "The War was lost."

"The victors of today are the losers of tomorrow." Rodolphus's hand twitched on his wand and black sparks flew from the end, sizzling as they hit the floor. "Or have you forgotten?" He moved to the side and the Death Eaters cleared the way so they could see the captives at the back of the room.

"Surrender now and I won't kill them," he offered.

"Forgive me if I don't believe you," Draco replied, still smirking even as his eyes flickered toward his mother.

"Then join us, Draco." A murmur rippled through the crowd, but Rodolphus ignored them. "You were a Death Eater once. Join us again and your mother will go free. Ask nicely and I might be convinced to let your little friends here live."

Draco's eyes flashed. He stared at his mother like he could free her with force of will alone. His wand lowered ever so slightly. Hermione couldn't see his eyes, couldn't tell if this was all part of the plan or if he really was tempted. Her heart pounded against her ribs.

What if she was wrong about Draco changing sides?

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but no sound came out. There was nothing she could do but stand there and wait. The silence was suffocating, the only sound the sparks spitting from Rodolphus's wand.

They were outnumbered. Out matched. The Order wasn't going to bust in to save them this time.

Draco stepped forward and, for a moment, he looked like he was going to accept. Then his face shifted, turning cold and furious. "Stupefy," he growled. Rodolphus deflected the curse, but it hit a Death Eater beside him, sending her sprawling.

All hell broke loose.

Hermione's body moved before she had the chance to think. Her wand was in her hand and up, curses on her lips. Blasts of green and red flew around them, blowing chunks out of the walls when they missed. Her friends clustered close next to her, their backs hot against hers.

She hadn't missed this. The flood of adrenaline in her veins, wiping out the bitter tang of fear. The crash of curses around her.

Ginny let out a cry as a curse grazed over the back of her free arm.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked over his shoulder. He was in front of the three of them, practically shielding them with his own body.

"Fine," Ginny spoke through gritted teeth.

The Death Eaters were starting to fall, but they were still outnumbered. The ones with guns were starting to wake up and level the weapons at them.

Lucky for them, Hermione thought, wizards were horrible shots. The Death Eaters looked terrified by the kick-back of the pistols and it wasn't long before they clicked with the sound of empty clips.

The Death Eaters threw the guns aside and pulled out their wands.

"We need to spread out," Harry murmured.

Harry and Ginny nodded ever so slightly in response.

"On my mark, everyone push forward. If we can get to the others, we can free them," Harry said. Draco tensed at his words but he stayed where he was.

"Three."

Hermione stepped forward.

"Two."

Another step.

"One."

Hermione held her breath.

"Move!" The last word came out as a shout, startling the Death Eaters. Their curses flew wide as the four teenagers moved forward, firing spells without mercy. Hermione squinted her eyes, focusing on keeping her spells methodical and carefully aimed. She knew that the Death Eaters were too erratic in order to aim properly. If she could stay calm, she'd have a much better chance of bring them own before they could do the same.

They hadn't expected an attack. They hadn't prepared for one. The lack of protection spells had been both an oversight and an invitation. Rodolphus laughed, a cold and clear sound, and a curse by him took out one of his own men.

None of these Death Eaters seemed to have any experience in battle. Most of them probably had never met Voldemort. If they had, they wouldn't be here now.

It was a heartening thought as she pushed forward. "Stupefy. Stupefy," she murmured, blasts of red light firing from the end of her wand. She wanted to glance back over her shoulder to make sure that her friends were all right, but distraction here could cost her life.

When Hermione did risk a glance around, she was pleased with what she saw. More than half of the Death Eaters were already down. There was Draco across the room, fighting like a white leopard. His face was twisted into a vicious snarl and he fought without mercy.

A group of Death Eaters had walled off the corner where the captives were being held. Draco was fighting his way toward them, but he wasn't making much headway. Harry was on the other side of the room, fighting with equal determination. Ginny snuck along the back wall, making her quiet way along toward the captives while their enemies were distracted.

Hermione started to take a step toward them, wanting to help, when she felt a bolt of lightning hit her in the chest. She toppled backward, her head thumping against the stone wall as she hit the ground.

Pain ran up and down her body like electricity. She gasped for breath, reaching for her head. Her fingers came back red with blood.

"Hermione!" Draco's scream echoed through the room. He was a couple paces away from his mother. Narcissa reached for him as best she could tied to the chair.

Hermione tried to watch to see what he would do, but everything was blurred. She saw his movement as he glanced toward what had to be Ginny judging by the bright red hair. Then Draco started toward Hermione instead, firing spells without even looking and bringing down a Death Eater every time.

Draco landed on his knees at her side. "No," he whispered. "No, stay with me, Hermione. Stay with me."

Hermione tried to speak, but her tongue felt thick in her mouth. She couldn't move, could barely breathe. Her entire body pounded. She felt like she'd been hit by a truck.

Her eyes closed as she felt Draco touch her shoulder. His voice dropped to a whisper, low and cracked. Only four words slipped through the rapidly darkening haze in her mind before she went completely under.

"I love you, too."


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N: I felt bad for leaving you guys there, so here's the next chapter a few days early. :) **

_Her eyes closed as she felt Draco touch her shoulder. His voice dropped to a whisper, low and cracked. Only four words slipped through the rapidly darkening haze in her mind before she went completely under. _

_"I love you, too."_

When Hermione opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a soft bed in a white room. Her entire body felt like it was made of lead that had been pounded repeatedly with a large mallet. She tried to raise her head but her muscles refused to cooperate.

Something shifted to her left and she turned her head just enough to see Draco. He sat in a chair, elbows resting on the bed at her side. He was bowed as if in prayer, forehead against his clasped hands.

"Draco?" Hermione rasped, wincing against the roughness of her throat.

He sat up so fast he almost fell off the edge of his chair.

"Hermione?" he whispered, reaching out to take one of her hands in both of his. "I thought you were dead."

She tried to smile in reassurance, but even that hurt. "You won't get rid of me that easily."

Laughter burst out of his mouth, sounding somewhat hysterical. She took in his tattered robes and a spot of blood matted in his hair. The memory of the battle came flooding back.

"What happened? Where is Harry? Ginny? Your mother? Ron?" She moved like she was going to push herself out of bed, but Draco placed a gentle hand on her chest and nudged her back down.

"They're fine." He let her go when she settled back against the pillows and reached over to pour her a glass of water from a pitcher. Hermione wrapped her hands around the cool glass as he held it to her lips. "After you—" he hesitated, eyes flashing with pain "—went down, Ginny freed everyone. I took out Rodolphus and the others started to surrender."

The door opened and Ron stepped in. He had a bandage wrapped around his head and his arms were covered in rapidly fading bruises, but he seemed none the worse for wear of his ordeal. He glanced toward Draco, his expression impossible to read. "Did you tell her yet?" Ron asked.

Hermione pushed away the glass of water, almost spilling it in her haste. "Tell me what?"

"Not yet," Draco replied, not looking at her or Ron. His eyes seemed dark and anxious. "There hasn't been time."

Hermione pushed herself weakly into a sitting position, infuriated by them talking about her like she wasn't even there. "Tell me _what?" _

"It seems the Death Eaters were waiting for us to leave your house. They had Muggles with them, probably under the Imperius Curse. Your parents were attacked—"

Hermione's arms gave out and she thumped back onto the bed. "Are they okay?" she interrupted, voice shaking with fear.

"We're fine," a voice from the hallway said before Draco could reply. Hermione felt all the tension melt out of her body and she couldn't stop a tear of relief slipping down the side of her face. Draco and Ron twisted around to face the door, identical expressions of surprise on their face.

Her dad had a deep scratch down one cheek and his arm was in a sling. Her mum's hair stood all on end and she was carrying a frying pan in one hand like she'd forgotten it was there. But they were alive. They were okay. They were here.

Guilt flooded through Hermione. If she'd died, would there have been anyone who would tell them the truth? She pushed herself back up and Draco helped prop up pillows so she could sit.

"Can I talk to my parents for a minute, please?" Hermione asked.

Ron nodded, smiling, and left without a word. Draco waited until she caught his eye before he stood, moving stiffly like he'd been sitting there for days. He paused once more by the door, glancing back at her, and then closed it behind him.

"Oh, sweetie," Hermione's mum said as she dropped into the chair and placed her hands over Hermione's. "When your friend told us that you were in the hospital we didn't know what to think…"

"What happened?" her dad asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to her legs.

Hermione licked her lips, buying herself a few extra seconds by rearranging the pillows behind her. Finally she spoke, "There's something I need to tell you both. And it's a long story, so please don't interrupt."

She started the only place she could: the beginning and, for once, she didn't leave anything out.

She told them about Voldemort and how he tried to kill Harry as a baby. Hermione's mum clapped a hand over her mouth at that, but she didn't interrupt. She told them about the Sorcerer's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, the Triwizard Tournament, and the return of Voldemort. About the Order of the Phoenix and the hunt for Horcruxes. Even about Australia, though at that they didn't seem as surprised as by everything else. And, finally, she told them about Narcissa and Ron and their daring captive rescue.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said once she was finished. "I should have told you years ago."

Both of her parents looked shell-shocked. Her mum was slumped in the chair, face as pale as the walls around them. Her dad had stood up around the time she started talking about Harry's trip to the graveyard (or what little she knew of it) and was still pacing back and forth in front of the door.

"So this man...this Voldemort...he's really gone?" her dad asked, his voice shaking.

Hermione patted the bed next to her, worrying that if he didn't sit down soon he was going to faint. "He's dead."

"How can you be sure?" He paced a few more times before he finally gave into her gaze and sat down on the edge of the bed, hands wringing in his lap. Hermione had never seen him this frenzied and it was scarier than anything since she'd started talking.

"There was no body the first time. And we destroyed all of the Horcruxes. He has no way of coming back."

Her dad nodded and relaxed ever so slightly. Hermione waited for her mum to say something, but she didn't. She couldn't even seem to look up at her daughter.

"Mum? I'm sorry. If I thought there had been any other way to protect you, I would have taken it in a heartbeat."

"You could have stayed out of it." Her mum's voice was little more than a whisper, wavering in the air. "You could have gone to a normal Muggle school. Or a different wizarding school. There are others, you said so yourself."

Hermione shook her head. "No. I couldn't have gone anywhere else and I couldn't have stayed out of it. You didn't raise me to stand on the sidelines and let someone else take the fall. Harry and Ron needed me."

Before anything else could be said, a Healer poked her head into the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Hermione really requires a check-up. She's been through quite an ordeal."

Hermione's dad nodded and he stood up. Her mum followed. Their eyes were strangely grave and the Healer glanced at them both, forehead creased in confusion.

"You can both stay," she said as she opened the door. "It'll only take a few minutes."

"We'll get out of your hair," Hermione's dad said with a smile before he guided his wife out of the room. Hermione let out a deep sigh as she settled down and watched the Healer bustle her way into the room.

"My name is Healer Brady," she said as she pulled her wand out of her pocket. She wore the usual Healer uniforms and her thick red hair was twisted back into a braid at the back of her neck. "You gave us quite a scare, Hermione. The curse that hit you was a powerful one. We're not sure but it may have been the Death Eaters' own invention."

"Am I going to be okay?" Hermione asked as the Healer waved her wand and smiled at whatever it is the spell told her.

"You're going to be fine. You'll have to stay here for a few more days, I'm afraid. Because we don't know the exact spell was used, there could be unforeseen side effects. It's just a precaution."

Hermione nodded, but she didn't relax. What kind of side effects?

"Odds are the spell was just similar to being hit with a brick wall. It wasn't the Killing Curse by any means."

That didn't really make Hermione feel much better, but if this pain was the last thing she'd have to deal with then that was okay.

"Can I see my friends?" she asked.

"Of course." The Healer smiled as she backed away from the bed. "No more than two at a time, though, for today. And make sure that you get plenty of rest. Are you hungry?"

"Not particularly." Hermione's stomach was still rolling from the anxiety that came along with telling her parents about her entire secret life.

"That's fine. I'll send along something in a while. Drink plenty of fluids and press that button if you need anything." The Healer nodded to a large black button on the arm of the bed.

"Thank you," Hermione said.

"You're welcome, sweetie." Healer Brady disappeared and left her alone with her thoughts. She only had a few minutes of solitude before Harry and Ginny entered.

Hermione let out a deep breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. It was one thing for Ron to tell her that both of them were fine. It was quite another to see them standing in front of her.

Scattered over Ginny's bare arms were burns coated in a thick green paste. Harry walked with a slight limp, wincing every time he put weight on his right leg.

"It's broken," he said when he saw Hermione's look. "Still healing."

They gathered around her bed and Hermione sat up. She was relieved to discover that it was easier this time. They stared at each other for a few minutes and then Ginny and Harry said together, "I'm sorry."

Hermione looked back at them but she didn't smile or say anything. They'd been to hell and back together and then they'd just abandoned her. She just waited for them to continue. An apology was a start but she'd been through far too much to forgive them that easily.

"I'm sorry for all the things that I said about Draco and that I wasn't your friend when you needed me," Ginny said.

"I'm sorry that I wouldn't see reason and that I fought you when you said that Draco should come along," Harry continued. "We've been terrible friends." Ginny nodded in agreement.

Hermione picked up the glass of water from her side table and took a drink to buy herself some time to think. "Apology accepted," she said slowly. "But that doesn't mean that I'm just going to let everything you did slide."

Harry and Ginny nodded in understanding. Harry clasped her hand briefly before he backed away to go. "I'm glad that you're okay."

"Me too," Ginny said, giving Hermione an awkward hug as best she could without Hermione being able to sit up properly. "We'll come back tomorrow. Get some rest."

"Tomorrow?" Hermione scrunched up her eyebrows. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight," Ginny replied. "You were out for hours. Missed Christmas and everything."

Hermione slid slowly back down under the covers. She felt an odd sense of confusion at having missed so much time. Her mind brought up an image of all the presents under the Christmas tree, still waiting to be opened.

Once Harry and Ginny were gone, Draco entered the room again. "They apologized to me, too," he said as he sat down again.

"What did you say?" Hermione asked as she reached out for his hand. He obliged as he settled into the chair once more.

"That as long as they didn't hurt you again, then apology accepted. Maybe a few other things, but I'll spare you the details. I don't care what they think about me as long as you're happy." Draco's eyes were rimmed with dark shadows and he still smelled like smoke.

"I care." Hermione squeezed his hand. "But it's a start." She was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. The stress of the day was taking its toll on her. Had it really been this morning when she woke up in Draco's arms?

Draco leaned over and kissed her forehead. "You can fall asleep, you know," he whispered.

Hermione forced her eyes open, wanting to talk to him about what he'd said before she had fallen unconscious, but they just slipped closed again. She pushed herself over to the edge of the bed, patting the empty space next to her. "You look exhausted," she slurred. "I'll only sleep if you do too."

Draco chuckled and she felt his weight settle down next to her. She wrapped her arms around him and fell asleep to the rhythmic sound of his breathing. There would be time to worry about everything else in the morning. There would be more to deal with but, in the meantime, this was all she needed.


	49. Chapter 49

_Draco chuckled and she felt his weight settle down next to her. She wrapped her arms around him and fell asleep to the rhythmic sound of his breathing. There would be time to worry about everything else in the morning. There would be more to deal with but, in the meantime, this was all she needed._

Hermione woke up again to the sound of Healer Brady opening the door. The bed next to her was empty, but still warm like Draco had just climbed out.

"He went to the bathroom," Healer Brady said in a chipper tone. "He told me to say that he'll be right back."

Hermione nodded, pushing herself up when she saw the tray in the healer's hands. There was toast and eggs and a tall glass of milk. Just looking at it made Hermione realize that she was _starving, _but then again she hadn't eaten since Christmas Eve.

While Hermione ate, Healer Brady gave her a full check-up. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Hermione swallowed. "Better. Still sore, but a lot better than yesterday." It was true. Her muscles still felt achy, like she was recovering after an extremely strenuous workout, but she felt like she could move now.

"Good. We'll see how you feel after you finish your breakfast and then, if you're up to it, maybe that nice young man can help you go for a short walk." Healer Brady winked at her and backed away from the bed.

Hermione nodded eagerly, moving her legs under the covers. She didn't think she would be able to go far, but it would be nice to get out of bed for a bit. "That'd be great."

"Good. Call me if you need anything." Healer Brady stepped out the door as Draco entered. The dark shadows were gone from under his eyes and his hair looked like he'd tried to wet it down in the bathroom.

"Good morning," he murmured as he sat down on the chair. "I'm sorry. I was hoping I could make it back before you woke up."

"That's okay." Hermione sat up, balancing herself so that she faced him with her legs crossed in front of her. "Healer Brady says I can go for a walk if I feel comfortable."

"That's great." Draco stood and reached out with his hand like he was about to help her up.

Hermione smiled and shook her head. She took his hand and rested it in her lap. "I want to talk to you about something first." Her heart pounded in her throat, whispers in the back of her mind telling her that she might have imagined his words before she'd passed out.

"Okay." Draco looked tentative but he climbed up on the bed next to her. "What is it?"

"It's about what you said, after I got hit." Hermione paused, watching his eyes for a second. He stared at their clasped hands, a slight blush rising on his cheeks. "I heard you."

He didn't hesitate. "I love you. I should have told you sooner."

Hermione reached over, turning his face to hers so that she could press a kiss to his lips. It was soft and gentle. She thought back to their first kiss, all rage and accusation and battling for dominance, and how far they'd come in just a few months.

"I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost you," Draco murmured when they pulled away.

"I'm right here." They kissed again, most urgently this time. Fire raced hot and cold up Hermione's spine and she clutched at the front of Draco's robes, keeping him right where she wanted him. He slipped his hands through her hair and down to her shoulders, pressing her backward.

Hermione pulled away, hissing with pain that bolted through her muscles as she tried to lay down.

"I'm sorry." Draco snatched his hands away. "Are you okay?"

Hermione nodded, sitting up again and stretching her back gingerly. "I'm fine. Might be another day or two before I can do that, though."

Draco chuckled and brushed his lips across her cheek. "Do you want to go for a walk now or would you rather wait?"

"Give me a few minutes." Hermione settled down, rolling her shoulders and stretching out her legs over the edge of the bed. "How's your mum?"

Draco nodded with a smile. "She's good. She's with the others here at the hospital. They're all fine, but the healers want to keep them for observation."

"Good. I'm glad." Hermione snuggled up to him for a moment and then slid off the edge of the bed. Her knees wavered for a moment but held. Draco stood next to her, resting a supporting arm around her waist. "Have you seen my parents?" Hermione asked as she took her first step.

Draco shook his head. "Sorry, but I haven't. And before I forget, Harry and Ginny are going to stop by later."

Hermione nodded. She would never believe that her parents would just abandon her but it was hard to know what to think when they just disappeared like this. She tried not to think about it too much as she and Draco made the rounds along the hospital floor. People stared as she passed, their whispers following her down the hall.

When Hermione returned to her room she curled up in bed and fell immediately to sleep. She woke once more to Healer Brady walking through the door, this time with lunch. "There's someone here to see you," the healer said.

The door swung open again and Hermione's parents entered, her beaded bag in her mum's hands. Healer Brady left the tray on the side table and exited again.

"Hey, sweetie," Hermione's dad said as he leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Sorry we haven't been to see you. It was..." He glanced back at his wife. "It was a lot to take in."

Hermione nodded. "I'm glad you're here now."

Draco moved out of the way, practically hiding in the corner, but Hermione's mum waved him forward. "Get over here. You're family too now," she said.

Hermione felt a strange thump in her chest. She felt a tear pricking at the corner of her eye. All of this-the attack, Draco's confession, the truth of everything coming out, and now their acceptance of him-was almost too much for her to handle.

"Why don't you eat?" her dad asked. "We're going to be here for a while." He sat down in the chair, nodding at her as she held out the tray.

Hermione smiled and picked up the turkey sandwich. It was just the way she liked it: with a slice of tomato between two slices of turkey. "Did you tell them how I like my sandwiches?" she asked, eyes on Draco.

He shrugged, but a small smirk pricked at the corners of his lips. "They're Healers. It's their job to know how to take care of people."

She chuckled and took a bite of her sandwich. It wasn't the best, but then again hospital food never was. Hermione's mum sat down on the edge of the bed next to her feet, placing the beaded bag in her lap.

Hermione swallowed her mouthful. "What's that for?" she asked. She wasn't even sure how they'd managed to find it. As soon as she'd returned home she'd emptied the whole thing and stashed it somewhere in her room.

"You'll see," her mum replied.

Hermione wasn't really up for surprises at the moment, but she let it go and kept eating. Her dad walked over to Draco and held out his hand. "I just want to apologize for the way that we treated you," he said. "And to thank you for taking care of my daughter."

"Apology accepted, sir," Draco said as he accepted the handshake. "And no thanks necessary. I only did what I had to." He was looking at her as he said it, holding her gaze with bright eyes.

"You're welcome in our house any time, whenever Hermione comes home," her dad continued.

"Thank you." Draco inclined his head. Her dad stepped away from him once more, returning to Hermione's bedside. She hurried to continue to chew, having stopped mid-bite to watch their conversation.

Once Hermione had finished eating as much as she could, she returned her attention back to her bag. "Are you going to tell me why you dug out my bag and brought it?" she asked.

Her mom tossed it into her lap. As always, Hermione was surprised how soft and empty the bag felt on the outside as she opened it and peered inside.

Stacked neatly on the inside were all the Christmas presents that they hadn't had time to open.

"I thought you might like to open them," Hermione's mum said. "And your bag seemed like the easiest way to get them here."

Hermione smiled. "It was a good idea." She reached inside and started pulling out packages, handing them out to their proper recipients. Draco walked around to the other side of the bed, settling down at her side to accept his.

"Hermione, you start," her mum suggested.

She nodded, choosing a book-sized gift and tearing aside the wrappings. Her fingers froze as they brushed over the cover. It was _Hogwarts, A History_, but it wasn't just any old copy. She held her breath as she flipped through the old pages and saw the words written on the inside.

First edition.

"What is it, honey?" her dad asked.

Hermione had to swallow a couple times before she could speak. "It's a first edition of _Hogwarts, A History_. It's a textbook that we use at school." But how could she explain to them that it was more than that? That this was the first of her magical textbooks that she'd cracked open the night she bought them. That this book had been at her side through everything. Through her first year at Hogwarts all the way to the journey to hunt Horcruxes.

She looked up at Draco, her eyes wide. She could tell by his smile and the softness in his eyes that he understood what the book meant to her, though she didn't think she would ever know how. "Thank you."

Those two words didn't seem like enough but there was nothing more that she could really say.

"It's perfect."

Draco nodded. "I thought you would love it. You do quote it all the time." He nudged her, teasing. "It took a while to track down."

Hermione couldn't resist. She leaned over, grabbing the front of his robes and pulling him for a kiss. She kept it short and chaste, but full of promises for when they were alone.

"You open yours next," she murmured as she pulled away and straightened up again. A slight blush burned on her cheeks but she refused to let it show.

Draco nodded and pulled the wrapping paper aside slowly and carefully. Hermione was resisting the urge to grab it out of his hands and just rip through when a leather-bound notebook finally dropped into his lap.

He felt the covers and then flipped through the pages. "It's blank."

"Well done," Hermione replied. "I'm glad that you haven't lost your quick wits." She smirked at him and then let her face relax into a more serious expression. "It's a clean slate. For you to fill with whatever you want."

He kissed her again and after that the spell was broken. They opened their presents quickly, admiring each others' when they were all done. In addition to the book and the earrings, Hermione also received a new coat—black, thick, and soft—and a briefcase.

"For your first job after you graduate," her dad explained as she stroked the soft leather. "So you look professional while you're taking on the world."

Hermione smiled. "Thank you."

For her dad there was a written promise for new dentistry equipment and a nice silver watch. Her mum had a thick heated blanket folded her lap while she flipped through the album of wizarding photographs that Hermione had given her.

"They move," her mum noted.

She laughed. "Yeah, they do." She took the album from her mum and flipped to the beginning, settling down to her to her. They went through the book page by page as Hermione explained the stories behind each picture.

When she reached the end where all the empty sleeves were, she looked at Draco and smiled. "There's still a lot of space left."

Draco smiled back at her and rested a hand on her shoulder. Hermione felt the last remaining tension slip from her body as she sat there with her family gathered around her and her love at her side. She knew there were still challenges to come—people that would never be accepting—but she would live in this bubble for as long as it would allow.


	50. Chapter 50

_Draco smiled back at her and rested a hand on her shoulder. Hermione felt the last remaining tension slip from her body as she sat there with her family gathered around her and her love at her side. She knew there were still challenges to come—people that would never be accepting—but she would live in this bubble for as long as it would allow._

The four of them were lounging around the hospital room when the door opened. Harry and Ginny entered. Ginny's arms were clean this time and Harry walked without a sign that his leg had ever been broken.

They looked surprised to find the room so crowded. "We can come back…" Harry said, holding the door open to go back out again.

"No, it's fine." Hermione grinned at her friends and gestured them inside. "You two are family too, whether you like it or not."

Harry nodded, returning a tentative smile. Hermione pressed the button on her bed and asked the trainee Healer that appeared for a few more chairs. When they arrived, Harry and Ginny sat down next to her bed. Draco sat on the bed next to her, relaxed and at home.

"How is Ron?" Hermione asked to break the silence.

"Back at work already." Ginny chuckled. "He was head of the team so he's also head of making sure everyone gets debriefed and the main witness against all the Death Eaters that were brought down. He's thrilled, of course." She held Hermione's eyes and shook her head to indicate the opposite.

"Do you know how long it will be until they're all released?" Draco asked, his hand gripping Hermione's just a little bit tighter.

"I don't know." Ginny held his eyes with a tentative smile. "I can try to find out, if you want. I think it's only going to be another day or two. Only one of them is still here at St. Mungo's and he's not Narcissa."

Draco nodded, but his muscles stayed tight. He relaxed gradually as the six of them talked easily for the next hour. Hermione appreciated how much her friends and family were trying for her sake and she tried to let them know that.

When dinner arrived, Harry and Ginny said their goodbyes, promising to visit again sometime. Her parents left next, but only because Hermione told them to go home and eat dinner. Exhausted, Hermione slumped back against her pillows, picking at her mashed potatoes as she relaxed.

"Should I go too?" Draco asked, starting to slide off the bed. The healers hadn't even been trying to kick him out, even though he'd been there almost as much as Hermione. It would be a futile endeavor even if they tried.

Hermione wrapped her arm around his waist. "Stay. Please."

He nodded and pushed himself back up next to her until they settled into a more comfortable position. They didn't spoke, barely breathed, as they split Hermione's dinner and then fell asleep side by side in the tiny bed.

Just after breakfast the next morning, Hermione was reading through _Hogwarts, A History_ while Draco stared at the blank notebook she'd given him in companionable silence. The door opened and they looked up, Hermione expecting to see a healer or her friends.

Instead, Narcissa Malfoy looked back at her.

"Mum," Draco said, surprised, as he put his notebook aside. "What are you doing here? Is anything wrong?"

"Everything's fine." She moved over to press a kiss to his forehead. "Draco, please let me speak to Hermione for a moment."

Draco stood obediently but hesitated. Narcissa silenced him with a firm look and a soft smile.

"Don't worry," she said. "Go see if the healers can spare a couple cups of tea."

Draco nodded, looking to Hermione for permission this time. She smiled and jerked her head slightly in the direction of the door. This time he didn't hesitate.

Hermione sat up in bed, watching Narcissa with a slight expression of caution. Draco's mother sat down on the edge of the chair her son had just vacated, folding her hands serenely in her lap.

"I want to thank you, for helping rescue us," Narcissa started. Her voice was a little stilted, like she wasn't used to being genuinely grateful.

"I did what I had to," Hermione replied, trying to indicate that she wasn't just talking about herself. She knew that Narcissa had done what she could to protect her family.

Narcissa nodded, leaning back slightly. There was a warmth in her blue eyes that Hermione didn't think she'd seen before. "You're good for Draco, you know," Narcissa said, her voice quiet and grudging. "With you, he's happier than I've seen him since he was a child."

Hermione wasn't sure what to say to that. Warmth bloomed in her chest. "I love him. I don't want to hurt him."

"I believe you." Narcissa sat forward slightly and held her gaze. "I do not know that you and I will ever be friends. But perhaps we can fight on the same side."

Hermione held out her hand, smiling in return. "We are already fighting on the same side."

Narcissa accepted the handshake and that is how Draco found them when he burst back through the door, three cups of tea floating in front of him. He froze just inside, letting it bang closed behind him. "Is everything all right?"

Hermione let go of his mother's hand. "Everything's great." She reached out to take her tea from him and that woke him up. The cups of tea floated to their respective owners and Draco brought his to sit next to her on the bed.

After a few seconds of silence, Narcissa spoke. "The Aurors Office is interrogating the captured Death Eaters as we speak. Most of them hadn't fought in the War. They have no idea what it was like. They're flipping on the others as we speak."

Draco nodded. "That's good. Do you think this is finally going to be over?"

"I hope so." Narcissa smiled, but her eyes were still hesitant, like she didn't want to make such a claim. Hermione couldn't really blame her. After all, she thought the War had ended with Voldemort's death and yet here she was in a hospital bed not even a year later.

Who knew what would happen in the future.

"I'm thinking about looking for a place outside London," she said. "I won't be rebuilding the Manor."

If Hermione expected Draco to look sad at the knowledge that his childhood home would not be rebuilt, she was surprised. He smiled and nodded at the news. "It was never much of a home anyway. I'll help you look." He paused and put his hand over Hermione's. "Once Hermione is out of the hospital."

"Of course," Narcissa responded.

"My parents and I have been living here for most of our lives," Hermione added. "We might be able to find you something."

"That would be...lovely." They chatted easily about London and housing possibilities for about another hour, before finally Narcissa stood up and brushed off her robes. "I should probably get going. The Aurors Office is going to be expecting me back."

Draco stood, meeting her on the other side of the bed to wrap his arms around her. "I'll talk to you soon, Mum."

Hermione dropped her gaze, but not fast enough. She still caught the slight shaking of Narcissa's hands as she held her son. "I love you, Draco."

"Love you, too," Draco replied, slowly like the words felt strange in his mouth.

Only once Narcissa was gone did Hermione look up again. Draco wiped his face impatiently with the back of his hand and then settled down on the bed next to her. "Are you up for another walk?" he asked.

"Maybe later." Hermione stretched out on her back and snuggled up to him from beneath the covers. "Right now I think all I want is a long nap."

Draco stroked her hair soothingly as she closed her eyes. "I'll wake you if anyone else comes. Get some rest."

No one else must have arrived because Hermione woke up a few hours later, opening her eyes to find Draco dozing in the chair at her side. She left him asleep and reached for _Hogwarts, A History _on her side table, the familiar words reaching out to greet her like old friends.

The arrival of dinner woke Draco. He scowled at Hermione when he saw her sitting up in bed, still reading. "Why didn't you wake me?" he asked as Healer Brady handed her a plate of baked chicken and potatoes.

"Because you need sleep too," Hermione replied as she accepted the plate. She was about to offer him part of her chicken when Brady produced a second plate from behind her back and handed it to Draco.

"I snuck it out of the kitchen for you," Healer Brady explained as she handed out forks. "Don't tell anyone."

"We won't," Draco replied with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. As always, let me know if you need anything." She swept from the room and left them alone with each other and the food.

In the morning, a knock sounded on the door. Hermione stretched, squinting in the low light, and called "Come in!"

She expected to see her parents, but instead it was Neville and Luna, holding hands and wearing cautious smiles.

"I'm sorry," Luna said in that wistful way of hers as Draco woke violently and had to grab onto the edge of the bed to keep from falling out of the chair. "Did we wake you?"

"Not at all," Draco said, his voice cracked. He waved his wand and brought the lights up to full brightness. Hermione closed her eyes against the light and waved her friends inside once she was able to open them again.

"We heard about the attack," Neville explained as he wandered over to her bedside. "We were just upstairs visiting my parents and wanted to make sure you were okay."

Draco snuck around the room and out the door, murmuring something about going to the bathroom. "I'm doing better," Hermione said once the door closed. "Hopefully won't be here too much longer."

"Any idea when they're going to let you out?" Neville continued.

Hermione shook her head. "A few more days, maybe. They're waiting to make sure there aren't any adverse effects. I feel fine, except for the fact that I'm _really tired._"

"Are all the Aurors okay?" Luna asked. Her eyes were wide and she looked almost normal. She was wearing a simple white dress with accents of pink. Her usual necklace of butterbeer caps was nowhere to be seen. Instead there was a pink ribbon in its place, a simple gold charm hanging at the end.

For a second Hermione thought it was the Deathly Hallows symbol and her heart jumped up the memories. Luna flicked her hair back off her shoulder, jarring it in the process, and the light showed that it was completely different. Circular instead of triangular for starters.

Hermione let herself relax back onto the pillows braced behind her. "The Aurors are fine," she said, remembering that Luna had asked a question. "As far as I know. I can't say much more beyond that."

"Did you have a good Christmas?" Neville asked after a several seconds of silence.

Hermione nodded. "Christmas Eve was good. Christmas Day...well, you heard what happened."

Neville nodded solemnly. "Are you going back to your family for the rest of the holiday?"

She shifted her legs underneath the covers, trying to get more comfortable. "That is the plan as soon as they let me out of this place. I'm going a little stir-crazy stuck in bed most of the time." They nodded with sympathy. "What about you?" Hermione asked. "Are you having a good Christmas?"

"Marvelous." Luna sighed dreamily. "The two of us are staying with my dad. Neville simply loves the Gurdyroot juice."

Hermione stuck out her tongue in a fake gag and smiled at Neville when Luna wasn't looked. He fought hard to force down a laugh as he nodded in reply. "That's good," Hermione said.

"We should probably be going," Neville said. "My grandmother is expecting us for lunch in less than an hour." He scrunched up his nose ever so slightly. "She's quite overwhelming, to be honest."

"She's only proud of you," Luna said, spinning in a circle so her dress twirled around her. "Feel better soon, Hermione." She skipped out of the room without a second goodbye.

"She doesn't believe in goodbyes anymore," Neville said, gazing after his girlfriend with a dreamy expression. "I hope they let you out soon. We'll see you back at Hogwarts?"

"Of course." Hermione smiled and leaned forward to give him a short hug. After everything they'd been through, not having to say goodbye was a relief. "I'll see you soon."

As Hermione had told them, it was a few more days before she was able to leave St. Mungo's. Draco stayed with her most of the time, only leaving for a few hours at a time to visit his mother. The Ministry had put her up in a small flat until she could find something of her own.

Every day her parents came to visit. When Hermione found her dad was fascinated by the _Daily Prophets_ that she kept stacked on her bedside table, she let him leaf through them all and answered all of his questions as best she could.

It was still a few days early for New Year's resolutions, but she made one that there would be no more secrets between them.

On the last day of the year, Healer Brady arrived with a smile and the news that she was being released. "You're in perfect health," she said. "I don't see any reason to keep you any longer. The curse seems to be a variation of _bombarda, _though without the Death Eater who cast it it's impossible to know for sure. I don't believe there will be any side effects, but come back in if anything seems off."

"Thank you," Hermione said as she swung her legs out of bed and shook the healer's hand. "For everything you've done."

"It was my pleasure. Good luck with your last few months at Hogwarts." The healer disappeared. Draco twined his fingers through Hermione's as her parents looked on. She let out a sigh of relief as anticipation bubbled in her chest.

"Are you ready to go home?" he asked, the softest smile on his face as he watched her. His hand gave a reassuring squeeze.

Hermione grinned at him, her heart thumping at _home_, and swung her beaded bag over her shoulder. "I've been ready for days."


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N: To everyone asking, here it is. The truth. This is it, everyone. This is the last chapter. Well…almost. Keep an eye out later today for a special epilogue. :) I hope you enjoy. **

_"Are you ready to go home?" he asked, the softest smile on his face as he watched her. His hand gave a reassuring squeeze. _

_Hermione grinned at him, her heart thumping at home, and swung her beaded bag over her shoulder. "I've been ready for days."_

Hermione expected home to be different somehow—so much had changed since she'd last set foot in her own house—but it looked exactly the same.

There was the fire crackling away in the fireplace. The couch still facing the TV where she had watched Christmas movies with Draco and her parents. The guest room with all of Draco's stuff still in it, the covers still messed up from where they'd climbed out Christmas morning.

The only thing different was that all the Christmas decorations had been taken down. The tree was packed away in the garage. It made Hermione feel like she'd slept through the whole week.

"Are we doing anything for New Year's?" Hermione asked, standing in the middle of the living room. She'd spent so much time in bed that she couldn't convince herself to sit down now. She was restless and she wanted to keep moving. Draco stayed standing still in the corner, just watching her.

Hermione's mum shook her head. "We figured we'd just hang out here."

"Okay." Hermione sat down on the couch and immediately stood up again.

Unable to stay in one place any longer, she wandered up the stairs and into her room. Draco watched her go but didn't follow behind. Some things seemed to have been moved since she'd last been in her room. Probably when her parents were looking for her beaded bag.

It was sitting on the end of her bed, empty now. She was almost tempted to tap it and whisper the countercurse, but she didn't.

Old habit said she always had to be prepared. And it would be nice to have something this small to carry her textbooks around it. She wouldn't even need a trunk anymore if she didn't want one.

Hermione sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed. The sun shone down outside as cars drove past. A pair of laughing children sprinted by on the sidewalk, chasing each other.

So much had changed but the world went on as it always did.

There was a knock on the door. Hermione looked up to see Draco and smiled. He looked hesitant, but he walked in and sat next to her anyway.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." She rested her head on his shoulder. "I guess I just thought things would feel different. I feel different."

Draco ran his fingers through her hair. "I know what you mean. You've been stuck inside for a long time. Fancy a walk with me?"

Hermione nodded eagerly and accepted his hand. "I would love one."

They went downstairs and told her parents where they would be and promised not to be gone long. The crisp winter air outside nipped at Hermione's face and made her feel more awake than she had in a long time.

Across the street, a woman yelled at the kids still running around on the sidewalk.

They wandered down the streets, taking in the people removing strings of lights from their homes and yards, and the ones getting an early start on New Year's celebrations.

By the time Draco and Hermione returned, her parents were in the kitchen preparing dinner.

New Year's was a private affair, just the four of them. They drank champagne and talked in the living room. At midnight they stared at the TV and counted down just like everyone else.

Five...four...three...two...one...

Happy New Year!

Hermione turned immediately to her parents, wrapping them both in a hug at once before she went to Draco. He stiffened slightly in surprise as she grabbed his collar and pulled him in for a kiss.

When they parted, she whispered, "To a new year and a new start."

"To new beginnings," he replied. She felt his hand twitch next to her and when he held it up, there was a yellow orchid clasped in his fist. She let him tuck it behind her ear before he was pulled away into hugs of his own by her parents.

Draco didn't look like he was quite sure what to make of all the physical affection, but Hermione just watched with a smirk. He'd get used to it.

They celebrated for another hour before everyone finally tired out enough to go to bed. Hermione took Draco's hand and guided him directly to her own room. She wasn't even going to try to sleep without him tonight. He'd been a constant presence at her side for the last week in St. Mungo's and she wasn't ready to give that up yet.

After that, the last few days of the holiday flew by. Draco divided the rest of his holiday between Hermione and his mother. He would disappear early in the morning, pressing a kiss to Hermione's forehead before he went, and then return in time for dinner. Once or twice Narcissa came along, mostly to take about housing possibilities with Hermione's parents.

Hermione didn't waste any time before she started studying for the new semester, but she didn't neglect her family either. They seemed to be accepting of everything that she'd told them, but she also felt like she was walking a wavering line.

Sometimes she'd look up and catch her dad staring blankly at the plant that they must have gotten in Australia. Others she'd see her mum flipping through old issues of the _Daily Prophet_ like they might be able to explain everything.

On January fifth, everyone who had gone home for Christmas headed back to King's Cross to catch the train.

Hermione kissed her parents goodbye and then hugged them so tightly that she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to let go. "Be careful," she said. "I'll see you in a few months."

"We will be," her dad said.

"See you in a few months." Her mum still hadn't let go. "Be careful. Good luck. Don't study _all_ the time. Keep us updated on how you and Draco are doing."

"Don't worry." Hermione pulled away gently until her parents let go and grabbed her trunk. "I'll write you all the time."

She hopped on the train and waved goodbye. Just a few cabins down were Neville, Luna, and Draco. They were sitting in complete silence when she walked in, but it didn't seem to be awkward at all.

People passed by, staring it at the four of them and whispering to their friends.

"Word travels fast," Luna said. For a second Hermione thought she was just staring dreamily out the window, but then she realized Luna's eyes were really focused on the reflections in the glass. "They tried to keep your names out of the _Prophet_ but someone let something slip. Everyone knows that the two of you were involved in the Auror rescue."

Draco slumped a little bit in his seat. "I suppose I'm the one who led everyone else into the trap?" he asked dully.

"No." Luna shook her head. "You were one of the ones who rescued the Aurors. No one knows about your mum's involvement because the Aurors would have a field day if their agents' names got out, but you four aren't agents yet."

Hermione squeezed Draco's hand. "What are you saying?"

"She's saying be prepared to have a lot of people talking about the two of you and in a good way this time," Neville said.

They spoke easily the rest of the way to Hogwarts. Hermione spent most of the trip digesting that idea, but she didn't really realize quite how true those words were until they stepped off the train.

No sooner had they walked into the entrance hall when a fourth-year Gryffindor who Hermione was almost sure was named Jackie hurried up to them. "I'm sorry," she said breathlessly, clutching at her side like she'd just ran down all seven floors to reach them in time. "I'm sorry that I was so mean to you and that I spread so many rumors."

"Apology accepted," Hermione said and the girl beamed. When the girl left, Hermione turned to Draco. "I"ll see you for dinner?" she asked.

"Of course." He leaned in for a quick kiss. For once there were no hisses or catcalls or angry comments. "I'll see you then."

Throughout the day a few more Gryffindors came up to Hermione to offer their apologies, but for the most part she was left alone. Her other housemates didn't seem to know how to react to the change and neither did most of her other fellow students. They stayed almost solemn in her presence, like they were afraid to say anything at all.

As the afternoon wore on and Hermione settled back down into her familiar space in the Gryffindor dormitory, she started to relax more and more. She was ready for her final months at Hogwarts and ready to step out into the world.

A world with Draco.

Dinner surrounded them with whispers as usual, especially when Harry and Ginny joined them at their usually isolated section of the table. It didn't bother Hermione in the slightest. They'd taken on the world together many times and they could do it again if necessary.

When they all stood up to leave, Draco caught Hermione's hand and held her back. "I need to go back to my dorm for a little bit, but will you meet me in the Room of Requirement tonight? For old time's sake?" His voice was hushed and just the slightest bit hesitant.

Hermione squeezed his hand in reassurance, nodding. "Of course. I'll see you soon."

She allowed herself to be swept along up to the dormitory, but it wasn't long before she was heading back down the stairs again.

The Room of Requirement produced the same room it had when they'd first run into each other. It felt like decades ago, her walking through this door looking for solitude and finding Draco instead. There was the couch and the books and the crackling fireplace.

Only this time, when she wanted to see someone, there was no one there. Hermione let out a sigh and settled down on the couch. A book floated from the shelves of its own accord and settled into her lap gently, almost like a cat.

Hermione snickered and opened it, running her fingers over the pages. She found that she couldn't concentrate and she was relieved when the door finally opened.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Draco said as he settled next to her on the couch. He held one hand behind his back and Hermione thrummed with anticipation.

"It's fine." Hermione smiled back at him. "What are you hiding?"

A shadow of nerves clouded in his eyes. "It's a gift. Well…it's not exactly a gift but…" He pulled his hand from behind his back to reveal the necklace he'd given her once already. The family heirloom, the one she had worried might be cursed, the one he'd taken back. She reached out, resting the leaf pendant against her fingers. The slender metal didn't feel as cold as she remembered.

"Will you accept it?" Draco asked, his voice lacking his usual confidence even though his heads were as steady as ever.

Hermione leaned in to kiss him. "I'm sorry that I didn't trust you before. Of course I will." She turned around, raising her hair into her hands so that he could clasp it around her neck. His fingers raised goosebumps on the back of her neck as she let her hair back down.

"It looks good on you," he said as she turned around and touched the leaf where it hung just below her collarbone. The heat in his voice made her almost shiver.

"Now I feel bad because I didn't get you anything," Hermione joked.

"Yes you did," Draco replied, his voice lower than normal, and then he laughed as he pulled her against him on the couch. Outside of the Room, the world kept spinning and life went on, but for them it felt like time had stopped, if only for a little bit.


	52. Epilogue

Two Years Later…

Hermione stepped out of the Ministry, pausing for a moment on the sidewalk to inhale the warm afternoon air. It was summer, the same day that Hogwarts students were being sent home. She waited for the familiar pang of not being among them but this time it didn't come.

She was happy. She had a respectable job in the Magical Law Enforcement department. All desk work but she expected to be in the field before the end of the summer.

All her friends were happy. Once it was clear that the Death Eaters had broken up or been arrested, Harry and Ron had taken the proper Auror training and graduated with flying colors. Ginny had taken some time off and then, with the encouragement of her friends, tried out for the Holyhead Harpies. She wasn't playing yet but Hermione knew that it was only a matter of time.

Luna and Neville were off traveling the world, him studying plants and her looking for who-knows-what kind of creature. Hermione still received a letter from them every few weeks and they seemed to be happy at it.

And as for Draco, he was neck-deep in training at the Healers' Academy. It had taken them some time to wise up, but once they did they'd invited Draco to join them. They'd bought a little flat together as close to the Ministry and St. Mungo's as they could find.

Hermione smiled as she turned her key in the lock and stepped inside. Draco wasn't supposed to be home for another hour, but she knew that he often liked to surprise her.

The flat was small: little more than a living room, a kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. But there was enough room for the two of them and they'd managed to cram more than a few books into the living room (thanks to a few well-placed spells on the shelves). It wasn't big but it was comfortable.

Hermione hung up her keys next to the door and walked through to the kitchen. "Anyone—" She froze mid-sentence at the sight before her.

Their kitchen table—rickety but it did the job—was covered in a thick white tablecloth. In front of the chairs where they'd normally sit were two plates, dishes surrounding a single candle at the middle. Draco stood in front of her, clad in his dress robes.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked when she found her voice again. She felt strangely underdressed standing there in her everyday work robes.

"I got home early," Draco said, looking rather proud of himself that he'd managed to surprise her once more. "I thought I would make dinner. Why don't you get changed, it'll be ready in a minute."

Hermione nodded, not sure what to say, and moved across the living room into the bedroom. It only took her a few minutes to change into her dress robes and then she was back out in the kitchen. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

"You can sit down." Draco motioned to her usual chair. "And taste this." He brought a wooden spoon with some kind of cream sauce over to her. Hermione opened her mouth and let him bring it to her lips.

It was delicious. "I've never tasted anything like it."

"That's a good thing, I hope." Draco went back to the stove and took out a pan of chicken from the oven.

"It's excellent." Hermione tried to sit back in her chair but she felt restless. "I've never seen you cook like this before."

"I thought I'd give it a try." He grinned over his shoulder at her, a hint of the old mischief in his eyes. "Just a few more minutes." Draco checked to make sure the chicken was done and then picked up their plates from the table. On each went a piece of chicken, poured over with the cream sauce, and some vegetables. It made Hermione's mouth water.

Finally he settled the plates down on the table and poured out two glasses of white wine. Hermione was so fascinated with watching him that she almost forgot that she should be eating as he settled down on the other side of the table.

Everything was delicious, not that she was surprised but in their two years together she hadn't known Draco to cook the Muggle way before. It was disconcerting but she held her tongue until after their plates were clean.

It wasn't until Draco went to the fridge and returned with a piece of chocolate cake layered with raspberry filling that she couldn't hold it any longer. "What is this for?" Hermione asked, trying frantically to remember if she'd forgotten any anniversaries. "Did you break the shower again trying to make it self-cleaning? I told you Muggle showers don't work that way…"

"No." Draco grinned at her, his eyes laughing. "The shower is fine. I told you I wouldn't try that anymore. I might have caused some damage to the fridge trying to make it expand but that's not really the point."

Hermione opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong with the fridge and decided to let it go. She could worry about fixing that later. "Then what is it?"

"Do I need an excuse to fix dinner for my girlfriend?" Draco looked almost giddy and it was a little scary. Hermione didn't think she had ever seen him like this before.

She waved at the candle and the tablecloth and the general area of the kitchen. "This isn't just dinner."

Draco moved over, sliding into the chair next to her and reaching out to take her hand. The other stayed in his lap and Hermione was abruptly reminded of a day, over two years ago, when he gave her the necklace that still hung around her neck.

"I just wanted to do something special," he said, his voice softer and more serious than it was a moment ago. "I wanted to make you dinner without magic and I wanted it to be nice. Because I love you."

"I love you, too," Hermione said. She was about to lean in to kiss him, but he wasn't finished talking just yet.

"And because I wanted to give you something." Draco pulled his hand out from underneath the table. Clasped inside it was a single orchid, mostly a deep red with white edges and a touch of yellow in the middle.

Hermione gasped and as she reached out to take it, his hand fell open. Wrapped around the stem and resting on his hand was a ring. Draco moved so quickly that she almost didn't see him make the move from the chair to the floor. When she looked him in the eye, he was down on one knee, his eyes open and filled with sparkling light.

"Will you marry me?"

Hermione swallowed hard, her mouth going dry. The ring glinted in the light of the candle, white gold with a large diamond in the center. Reaching out to take it from him, she realized there was also a smaller ruby on one side and an emerald on the other.

The thought that Draco must have put into choosing this particular ring took her breath away again. It was a few moments before she could speak.

"Of course I'll marry you," Hermione said, surprised when her voice came out clear and steady. Draco's entire face broke into a grin and he stood up, kissing her so hard the wooden back of the chair dug into her spine. He broke away only long enough to take the ring from her shaking fingers and slide it on for her.

Hours later, tangled up in bed together and staring up at the stars through their only bedroom window, Hermione asked, "Now what was it you were saying about the fridge?"

**A/N: I had no idea when I started this story two years ago that I would get this kind of response. I am truly honored. Thank you, readers, first and foremost. Thanks for your follows and favorites and reviews. I wouldn't be here without you all. Thank you to my amazing beta reader, for kicking me when I needed it, listening to my rambling when I got stuck, and helping me to make this story the best it could be.**

**I haven't decided yet what my next story is going to be. Granted I have no shortage of ideas, so I don't think it'll be long. If you have Tumblr, I'm wholockedtrekkie and I keep an updated list of my fanfics on my blog as well as posting updates. Thank you, all of you, for reading.**


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